Month: March 2018

Maybe the C-F students got it right. (Well, probably not F students) As an A student my entire life, with over a 4.0 GPA in high school and a 3.74 in college, I have been thinking about this topic a lot lately. How much have I really learned? So what, I put a couple extra hours in studying for tests. I did the work, and that gave me the ability to gain scholarships and be more “eligible” in the job application process. At the end of the day though, I think the bottom line is: Did I learn more? This is a difficult question, for its hard to compare yourself to others. So I guess the better question would be: If I went the “route” of a C-D student, would I have learned more than my current path? The answer: Yes and No. If I was not driven and did not pursue my passions, then the answer would be no. But if I did puruse them, then I think the answer would be a hell yes. My main reason for this: Specialization. School is similar to a kid training for sports. The average high schooler is taking 6-7 classes a day, in all different subjects. In college you pick a major to focus on, yet you still have all these “core classes” that you are mandated to take. This is like telling a pro athelete to train for 6-7 different sports, when in reality, all that matters is that they hone their particular skills in one. Do you think anyone cares if Jonathan Toews can throw a baseball?

We all know the importance of providing value. This is how business works. The business provides a service/product/something of worth to the consumer (or other business), who usually returns the favor with some type of currency. But why does there have to be a trade-off? There is the famous line by the Joker, “If you are good at something, never do it for free.” But, what if we did? We should be willing to provide value for the sake of providing value. To help each other out. To always give without the expectation of return. For I guarantee you, someone in your life has already done it for you.

I think that it would be extremely beneficial if someone were to convince me that I was dying. But I would have to believe it and feel like it was actually happening. Imagine if your parents have you go for a checkup, the doctor comes out and tells you that you have this certain disease, giving you 30 days to live. You look up the disease, its real and it all checks out. There is nothing you can do to prevent it. And no one lives more than the 30 days. Your parents are crying. You completely believe that this is happening. So what now? Honestly, I don’t know what I would do. Probably become as religious as possible with my faith. Try to leave my family, friends, and the world on good terms. But as for how I would view the little details, what I might deem important now, which then, I might not care for, is so hard to determine. How would I behave? Interact? After pondering this, I think I would definitely trying to soak in every moment. To feel every second. So why am I not doing all these things now?

Those that spend a lot of time with me know that I am constantly looking for new ways to be more productive and efficient with my time/resources. One of the things I have been researching this past year is different add-ons/extensions in web browsers. My favorite extensions (all free!) are:

Adblock Plus

Disconnect

Grammarly

Honey

Evernote

Mind the Time

Momentum

Google Keep

Todoist

LastPass

Noisli

Nothing is certain in today’s society. Things are changing so fast, sometimes it might seem hard to keep up. But perhaps that is why we are losing. When the world is flying before our eyes, maybe then it is time for us to stop and look around. We may see something that others have missed.

Where do you see yourself/your company in 5 years?

One of the most asked questions. One of the hardest, if not impossible, to answer.

Maybe a better question would be, if, in 5 years time, you are still spending your time in the exact same way, would you be happy?

If your answer to this question is yes, then congrats. You have found your passion and balance in life. Continue on.

If the answer is no, then you know something needs to change. You cannot spend your time doing one thing and expect different results. Yet, so many of us live this way. Its like we plant an apple seed and when it grows into a tree, we are upset that it did not yield tomatoes.

It’s time to plant the seeds of action today so we can harvest the results we want for tomorrow.

 

We often fall into the mentality that we cannot do something.

That it is just not possible. That we are not capable.

Maybe it’s learning a language. Learning to code. Figuring out a solution to a problem. Regardless of the scenario, we need to realize that everything we know, every building, every sidewalk, business, etc, were all made by people no smarter than us.

For as Steve Jobs said, “Once you learn that, you’ll never be the same again.”