I was never that great at math. Quizzes? Forget it! Now if we had to give a presentation, I’d nail it!
Anything that put me in front of a group of people to convince them of something…that was my wheelhouse. From a young age, I was taught to be independent – to think like an entrepreneur. Now I often wonder, why we don’t teach more real life skills in school to groom our next generation? Things like how to start a business, how to stand out on your own, how to delegate, how credit cards work, how to balance your own checkbook with actual expenses. Real things.
In his TED Talk, entrepreneur Cameron Herold encourages parents and teachers to recognize — and foster — entrepreneurial talent in kids. And he should know a thing or two about entrepreneurship! The guy is described as “a leading force behind one of the most successful new business ventures of the last decade.” And he started learning these skills at a very young age (check out what he was to say at the 5:00 minute mark). He makes some compelling arguments regarding how we are groomed as children for lifelong habits. I guess that’s why I’ve always been independent and never wanted the “9:00-5:00” job. I watched my father work as a handyman. From that I learned that you have to work hard to make it on your own, but boy does it pay off!
I believe in this concept so much that one day I hope to start a school that teaches real life skills for kids. The school would incorporate these concepts and also encourage the students to experience life outside of their bubbles by traveling! In the meantime, I’ve satisfied myself with influencing youth in other ways. When I was asked to speak at Career Day at a local middle school, I encouraged the kids to set goals and take steps to achieve them. Want to hear the specifics of what I shared with them? Make sure to check out my post next week for part 2 of “Starting Young.”