I had the great pleasure today to speak to a group of 40-50 7th graders at the Young Scholars Charter School in Philadelphia.
This is a top rate program that works with 6, 7 and 8th graders from largely economically disadvantaged homes to prepare them for high school and college.
While I gave a talk about building a personal mission and focusing on what you want to be, not solely on what you believe you want to do as a job, I felt that I got the better end of the bargain in being a small part of the kids day.
Ask the common and classic question:“WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO WHEN YOU GROW UP”[ASK 3 STUDENTS]I wanted to Do 3 things when I was your age…“Who in hear thinks it makes sense to want to do all of those things?”Why? – [1 student]“Who thinks is makes NO SENSE”Why not? – [1 student]All GREAT Points…I was not concerned at the time about DOING all 3 because where PASSIONSDoes everyone know what Passions are?[ASK 1 STUDENT]
I am going to let you in on a little secret that I did learn to a lot later in lifeEven thought I was acting on it by focusing on my PASSIONSThe real questions to ask yourself are…Understand where you can give the most energy, excitement and…PASSIONThat is what can give you direction and clarity…to achieve your personal MISSIONWho knows what a Mission is?[Ask 2 Students] – YOUR VISION OF THE FUTURE THAT EMERGES WHEN YOU COMBINE YOUR VALUES (WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN) WITH YOUR PASSIONS AND ACTIONSRegardless of what job you have at any given time…what you DOAnd I guarantee you that there will be many and you may not like them allA job should be an extension of who you are…not the other way around…You are not your job…it is a point on your overall PathIf you keep your personal Mission in mindand it makes a POSITIVE IMPACT ON YOU AND THOSE AROUND YOU…even in a small way…you will be fulfilled
So Why Do I believe thatLet me give you a quick story of my roadWhich started out one wayAnd went in another as I figured out how to pursue my PASSIONWhile also developing a sense of what my overall personal MISSIONShould be and how to be Pragmatic about building a life around itWho knows what Pragmatic means?STORY
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Some of the biggest and best jobs today did not even exist 10 years agoMy job title did not exist 3 years ago and My company did not exist 1 year agoSo that means in 10-15 years when you work full time There will be hundreds of new types of jobs that do not even exist nowSo as you grow and experience new things, your Passions and you MissionCan help you find the best fit…even if you have never heard of it before
And that brings me to the last pointDo not worry about defining a Mission now that will last your entire lifeAnother little secret…It will change and it may change a few timesAs you grow and learn new thingsMy advice though is to always keep that Mission, in whatever form, At the core of who you are and then build around it______________________________________________________________For last slide – videoLeave you with something that I was able to put together that was part of my MissionOPEN, RESPONSIBLE, EQUITABLE ACCESS[STORY]