hard work

[cletus-factor]

You know i've never been an A student, star athlete, hell i've never been much of anything but good enuff. And my attitude has always been that that's good enuff. But, I wonder if always being a B student and doing just what's required is what will be enuff for me in life. In short i don't need fancy cars or mansions, but i do want to retire at 60.

If anyone here is an A+ person, how do you do it? I don't want geniuses answering here. I want someone who has a good philosophy, something they can tell me that will potentially fundamentally change my whole outlook on life and someone who works their ass off to get what they got or are still getting.

 

[44blues1]

Questioning your own motivation is the starting block for success. I have about 90 employees, and I can tell you that I very rarely give raises to those that ask for them. When I see someone working hard, I go up to them and tell them "I am not paying you enough! You need a raise!" So, to answer you, if you are questioning whether or not getting by is enough for you, then the answer is no. Set your own personal goals. What do you want to do? How far do you want to go? If you can set these goals and draw a map to them, you'll find success. And to clarify things, I was raised on a government check and foodstamps. I set my goals, and now I run a retail business.

 

[Kalamos]

Coffins have no pockets.

...

Then again, I'm no A+. More like 0+.

 

[a1532b]

Lol, I'm not even close. I show up for class....occasionally....

Basically, I don't want college to get in the way of partying . 🙂

 

[DarthGrinn]

All I have are cliche stuff (that has personally worked for me):

Just keep your nose to the grindstone and don't give up. Don't be discouraged by your failures, we all fail...repeatedly. Take it as a chance to learn something new, cuz you never know when it'll be useful. One thing our youth affords us, is the chance to constantly screw up and learn from it; let's take advantage of that while we can.

Don't worry about memorizing facts all the time; just understand the basic concept and you can reason things out for yourself later. Make sure you give yourself plenty of rest; "play-time" is just as much of an investment in yourself as work. If you don't rest your heart will go resentful and your mind and body will grow weary.

Ah... what else...

Oh ya, don't be afraid to google, hit message boards, ask questions and read books. Admit to yourself that you don't know something, and seek the answers out; don't try to get by, pretending to know something just so you can finish studying quicker or impress your colleagues. Sometimes you just need to take a breath, and re-read that chapter over again, and ask questions. There's nothing wrong with that.

Try to vary your sources; I always try to buy at least 2 books on the same subject, by different authors. I try to get one book that offers a simplified explanation, and one that goes in-depth. Again, google is your friend. Y'never know what u can find online.

Being a "b-student" means jack-diddly in the real world. School is mostly about memorizing facts. The real world is more about problem solving; so the quicker you can think, and the more creative you are in your field, the better off you'll be. So don't worry about your grades too much, as long as you're confident in your capabilities, and aren't afraid to learn new things on the job, you'll do great.

I'm only 24, so I'm still trying to figure things out. So far I'm also finding out that having good social skills can go a long way; so go out there and network (IRL), make new friends and always keep your ears open to opportunity. Start now, so by the time you graduate you'll have contacts in industries and can easily find jobs etc. knowing the right people can pay off big-time.

 

[cletus-factor]

Wow thanx for the responses so far.

My goal of retirement comes from what i've been seeing. I've heard a lot about people dying in their 60's actually seems to be not quite so uncommon as like in your 40's. Heck even lots of people die in their 50's (usually heart attack there) and I will say something to go along with that worry and that is well i had a good childhood which lasted until I was like 5. Then it was still good, but suddenly there was this thing called homework. And then at 16 there also came a job and homework. My first year at college i was able to get rid of the job but had to get one the next year and i've worked pretty steady since then while going to school. So all i've known since a very early age is that to get anywhere in this life....how to say this....you have to do stuff for other people which in turn is doing stuff for yourself but it's not direct other than a grade or a paycheck. I would personally be very happy to just be able to work 20 hours a week for until the day i die be that 90 maybe, but figuring that i'll be an accountant i may put in 50 to 60 and that has me bummed. For some reason when i'm at home with nothing to do and then i make stuff for myself to do i'm a lot more happy than when i have to crack a textbook or drive to work and be there for most of the day.

If that makes any sense.

 

[Cbarton]

Never settle for second best. Never putting out your best effort punishes you, depriving you of what you could have been. After all, you miss all the shots you don't take. It may sound cliche, but hard work is it's own reward. I now have my dream job, but I've never let myself become fully satisfied. It's like the difference between the Sea of Galilee in Israel compared to the Dead Sea. Both are connected by the Jordan River. Same water source. The Sea of Galilee is full of life, a great source for fisherman, and has always have cities and towns around it. The Dead Sea is...quite Dead! No fish or animals can live in it. The mineral content is so high it is near impossible to drown in for the minerals literally keep you afloat.

Why are they different? The Jordan River flows in one and and out the other end of the Sea of Galilee. The Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea and stop. The flow of water out of the Sea of Galilee keeps it fresh and thriving. The lack of flow out of the Dead Sea keeps it full of junk and worthless.

Is this a Sunday School lesson? Not quite. What it shows is that unless you keep working hard and trying to excel, you'll become stagnant. If you become satisfied and just go through the motions and do 'just enough," you'll become like the Dead Sea: lifeless. If you work hard, always give your best, and keep seeking new challenges and goals, you'll be like the Sea of Galilee: full of life!