"The 10 things they did not teach me in school or University"

When we are young and attend school we have the hope that we will be somehow prepared for life. Unfortunately, this is not always the case and intellectual education has little to do with how people will experience their lives later on. This happens not only in school but also at University and I do not say this to criticize but in an attempt to show you the importance of those things we are not taught. Here is my top 10 list:

1. Abundance is important: we are told that our work will pay our bills. This is valid in some parts of the world, not everywhere. Moreover, abundance is measured not by money but by the quality of our relationships, friendships, free time, quality of life, peace in ourselves, and inner trust and confidence. Therefore, the latest are some of the things we should be aiming for in life if we are really smart.
2. Trust that doing good will create good: generous people tend to be rich, and those who are rich and not generous suffer from an emotional sickness called avarice. They never have enough and they want to keep it all for themselves. This is the opposite of abundance. Look at mother Teresa of Calcutta; she was often portrayed as an example of somebody who did not own anything, yet she will be extremely influential and only a phone call could move the president of a country. Power is not everything.
3. You are not your work, and work is not everything: this is one of the most difficult myths and self-beliefs to break. We need to learn to take distance or separate our identity from our achievements. We are always more than our working activity. We are also children, parents, friends, lovers, and founders of society. The more we realize this, the more fulfilled and "sucessful" we will feel and be. The most well-known coaches will speak and focus on their families and how to overcome people's challenges, instead of the subject of money itself.
4. It is OK to be different and not conform: I never met a very sucessful entrepreneur or an employee trying to imitate somebody else or become the version of himself that somebody else expected. Keep this one in mind.
5. The value of a life well-lived: at the end of your life, people will think about you in terms of what you have meant to them. Were you a good and responsible friend, colleague, or mother/father? Did you seriously care about the people you value most? Did you enjoy your life and enrich yourself with hobbies, vacations, and love?
6. Life is short. Make the most out of it. Connected to the topic above, do not think or feel about this one as an obligation to make the most of our time because I say it. What I mean is that we don't really know for how long we live, and therefore, it makes sense to enjoy our life more.
7. It takes practice to be an entrepreneur: if you ever felt the urge to be an entrepreneur, this is something that requires practice and they definitely don't teach us in school and perhaps in some Universities. Ultimately you get trained to be an employee, and if you want to become an entrepreneur, you do this by practice.
8. Your mindset is everything: in whatever you do, it is how passionate and lively you are, that will determine the quality of your work, friendships, projects, and life. Therefore, invest in yourself and also identify those people who really make you feel inspired, loved, or motivated. It makes life worth living.
9. Look for what you really like or love: practice hobbies or activities you really like or train a new skill. Make sure you don't become a one-sided person, but that you are a complete individual with hobbies, passions, interests, and projects.
10. Protect your individuality: there are some hidden or more visible pressures to make us fit into patterns that don't belong to us or do not reply to our inner needs. You are not more respectful because you fit the pattern that somebody else expects from you. It is ok to be different, and dare to be you. The people we admired the most, accept themselves as they truly are, and act accordingly. Therefore be yourself.

The most memorable moment of my career was that moment when they invited one of the most trendy and successful entrepreneurs of the time to my University. He had investments in stocks and owned fashion stores with an innovative character, which he was passionate about (I doubted myself whether that could be a sucessful business). He spoke about how his childhood was been poor and had no resentment for that. He also had this attitude of somebody who dares to live and do what he likes, and that inspired me the most.

Written by Roselyn Zeinstra, Certified Bucket List coach, author, and entrepreneur.