Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Education For The Misdirected

TURNING IT AROUND FOR THE BETTER


"If someone is going down the wrong road, he doesn't need motivation to speed him up.  What he needs is education to turn him around." ... Jim Rohn


A good formal education is what we all want for ourselves and our children and for the most part...at least here in the United States...it's within reach to practically everybody.  However a formal education is not what I'm really talking about in this post. What I'm talking about is the type of education that allows people who may have taken the wrong path early in life and became misdirected...and who desperately need lessons for turning it around for the better.  Or the people who didn't necessarily go down the wrong path, but simply weren't exposed to the values, thought processes, and life philosophies that lead to consistent success and life fulfillment.

At some point in our lives, no matter how difficult or troublesome our beginning was, we all have to have accountability and take responsibility for the decisions that we make.  For our choices, our actions. and the consequences that result from them.  The beginning chapters of any good book are usually very different from the chapters in the end.  Such it is with life.  We can edit our life's story at any point...if the will to do so is great enough.

I'm a huge believer in self education.  I strongly believe that success leaves clues, and that once we've endured enough pain and discomfort we can seek out a better way to live life.  This is what personal development is all about.  It's taking stock of your own value system...having the courage to do an honest self inventory and say "Hey up until this point I've fallen short.  I'm not happy with some of the results I've gotten through my decision making and I know I can do better.  I know the type of person I'm capable of being and I'm not going to be satisfied with anything less from here on out!"

There's a lot of power in that.  And we are neither alone in this struggle nor have a shortage of people to reach out to in order to help make these types of substantial changes happen.  On an everyday basis teachers, coaches, authors, social workers, counselors, doctors, employers, religious leaders and countless others serve in this capacity.  And by all means, and I need to stress this, a person doesn't need to have a title or a degree in front of or behind their name to do this.  It can be an extended family member, a neighbor, or even a friend who can make a huge difference.     
But it, the process, has to start from within.  The desire for change has to come from within.

Earl Nightingale, the "Dean of Personal Development", always referenced the six powerful words that he and countless others say changed their lives upon reading Napolean Hill's timeless classic "Think and Grow Rich".  Truer words have never been written or spoken.  "We are what we think about."  People need to be educated about trust, character, integrity, responsibility, accountability, compassion, participation...the types of things that there really are no "classes" for...but which are taught by the caring members of our society on an everyday basis.  Given the right example, the right people to follow and the right books to read, people can begin to replace the garbage they accepted as just "the way things are" with "the way things can be." 

People can reinvent themselves.  They don't have to be a slave to their upbringing or the life philosophy that has resulted in a less than satisfying life.  They need to be educated about the values. morals, and disciplines, that result in a life much different and much more fulfilling than the one they are choosing to live.  They need to understand...and feel...that they have free will to change what needs to be changed, and most importantly that they have the strength and courage within themselves to make it happen.

Until the next time...


#YouMatterTremendously
#GoldenRuleLifeStrategy
#LiveYourLifeWithPurpose