Many people want to be successful. They want to be an astronaut, they want to have the best grades, they want to be the best football player. And they imagine themselves with the rewards and benefits of being what they want to be. But they don’t know what it means to want to be that person. What I would suggest to younger students who have a goal is to imagine themselves doing what it takes to achieve that goal. Don’t imagine yourself on the podium in first place. Imagine yourself in practice. Practicing to be in first place. I wrestle. So when I’m at home, I imagine myself wrestling. I imagine myself doing the moves. I don’t imagine myself on the podium, waving my hands, smiling, taking photos. It’s not important to actual wrestling.
The rewards that you want are not what you should yearn for. You should yearn for practicing. You should be able to accept a friend asking you to go to a party, and you turning them down, because you need to study. Lots of students would rather go to that party because that party will help them fit in. I want to stand out. So I’ll be that standout. I’ll be the one to say “no” so I can sit there and study and be the best I can be.
