“Experience
is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted. And experience is often
the most valuable thing you have to offer.”
- Randy Pausch
How many times have you had a bad
experience? Did you choose to complain about that experience or learn from it?
I recently wrote a paper for one of my Concordia MBA courses, in which I
discussed how I developed into the leader that I am today. In the paper, I
wrote about a rough patch in my life during high school where I wanted nothing
more than to fast-forward through it all. Although high school seems like just
yesterday here I am ten years later, and I still find myself asking: what did I
learn from those bad experiences?
I learned that life is what you
make of it. I chose to use those bad experiences as reinforcement to help me
succeed in my life. Those (what I considered to be the worst experiences of my
life at the time) rough patches helped me set goals, stay focused, and become
successful. Instead of looking back, and saying high school was a horrible
experience I have chosen to remain positive, and focus on all the good that it
brought me. Some of my best friends are still those friends I made in high
school. I married my high school sweetheart, and as I look back now it is
obvious that high school really did pave the way for where I am today.
I think why I consider myself a
leader today is because thus far I have made the most of my experiences, and
have learned from them. I have chosen to have a positive attitude, which has
gotten me through so many things in life. It is true as the old saying goes, a
smile really can go a long way. Although there are times when it would be
easier to be negative, and simply decide to brush off an experience as a loss,
what benefit would that gain me? What benefit would anyone gain from that?
I challenge you to make the most of
any experience, and to remain focused on the positive. Learn from those
experiences because they will continue to develop you into the leader you are
called to be!
0 comments:
Post a Comment