Top Ten I Was Correct When I Was Young

Think back to your childhood. There were moments you felt smart. You were a champion. You felt great. Confidence became strong. An adult told you otherwise. You felt dumb. You were a loser. You felt bad. Confidence became weak. And there was a loss of self-esteem.

The adult who told you otherwise was the person dumb, a loser, and making you feel bad to make himself or herself feel good. The adult was the person with weak confidence. The adult was the person with poor self-esteem. You were actually correct.

I was told I was wrong because nobody reinforced my good moments, nobody encouraged me to continue my good successes, and/or people were jealous of my accomplishments. Or it could have been me. I quit reinforcing my good moments to do better. I took my good successes for granted. I was a people pleaser stopping when I was told to stop to make other people happy. All of the above are correct.

I define my young age between 1-17 years old. I never hoarded toys, video games, stuffed animals, baseball cards, and board games. My room was too small for a large amount of possessions. I didn't want to spend my entire allowance on toys. I believed in saving money for emergencies. I wasn't happy owning the entire collection of GI Joe action figures. I was correct thinking back. No hoarding is number seven. Saving money is number one. Here are the top ten I was correct when I was young:

10. Be gritty. Practice, practice, learn from my mistakes, improve, progress, practice, practice, practice, . . . . I earned perfect scores for my first six spelling tests in 3rd grade; thereafter, no perfect scores for the rest of the school year. My physical fitness was my best in my freshmen year which included morning exercises listening to U2's The Joshua Tree album. My French I was excellent I spent extra time learning beginning French words using flash cards. My physical fitness went down in my sophomore year. I struggled with French II in my sophomore year.

What happened? I wasn't gritty. I stopped when I was going up. I lost focus. I took those successes for granted. Sometimes studying spelling in 3rd grade, exercising in the morning, and memorizing flash cards were fun. Sometimes they were not fun. I wanted everything to be fun. Lesson learned. Sometimes our activities aren't fun. We complete them regardless. I wished somebody taught me grit. And I self-discovered grit nobody reinforced.

9. The year and month I was born. I thought throughout my high school years when I was born determined my success. The high school graduation requirements changed when I started my freshmen year. There were significant budget cutbacks two high schools closed. I graduated my senior year in another high school. Bad timing. If I was born one year earlier, then I experienced none of these bad events. Also, my graduating year class sucked. The students who graduated one year before me were better people.

The book "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell confirmed I was correct. When a person is born can determine his or her success.

8. Daydream. I was told daydreaming and talking to myself in private meant I was crazy, stupid, and weird. Wrong! Daydreaming and talking to myself in private prevented me becoming crazy, stupid, and weird.

7. No hoarding. I was never a person who needed to compete with my friends. I didn't need the entire collection of Transformers or the rare rookie baseball card. We live in a society of possessions and consumption today. I'm happy my no hoarding youth carries to my adulthood.

6. Patience. I lived a false sense of getting everything done quickly. It worked in my 20s and early 30s. Somehow my quick life was successful quickly. I didn't have to be patient. I started on something. I completed it quickly. The patience is back today. I'm learning new job skills I hope opens doors to new job opportunities. Learn something new one at a time. I believe the world lost its patience today.

5. Priorities. It's important to find time for leisure. It's important to find time to relax. Successful people work on the most important tasks first. Successful people prioritize on the more important activities first. I was taught to take it easy, have fun, and relax. Avoid stress. Avoid the hard work.

I was taught incorrectly. I should have modeled the successful people's prioritizing habits. Sometimes priorities are fun and sometimes priorities are not fun. We must complete the priorities first before relaxing.

4. Exercise. I ran one mile a week in third grade which gave me fast running speed in my childhood. I exercised in the morning in ninth grade. I continue my exercises in my adulthood. I'm not fast today compared to my teenage years. I'm the most healthiest I have ever been in my life; for instance, since 2014, I have been sick once and I experience one 24 hour sickness. Furthermore, I minimize snacks and eating out at restaurants. Exercising is not an excuse to eat unhealthy in moderation; in other words, exercising and eating unhealthy don't cancel. Exercise and eating healthy must be combined.

3. Be a good person. I was told don't help people. Avoid talking to strangers. Don't get stronger, smarter, kinder, and wiser. Just be nice. Just be quiet. Stay away from the crowds. Adventures were weak. New experiences were few. My childhood life was boring.

I'm a good person today. I'm available to help people. I want to create new circle of friends. I'm getting stronger, smarter, kind, and wiser. I'm not a nice guy. I'm a good guy. I like conversations. I want to be with people. I'm catching up what I missed in my young years. I'm experiencing new experiences. I'm seeking new adventures. I want an active adulthood.

2. Clean and organize. I self-taught myself how to vacuum, mop floors, clean toilets, and organize. My parents rarely cleaned the house. People live in a healthy residence life clean and organize. No clutter. No junk. Work is required. Effort must be made. Fun or no fun.

1. Money. I was told to save money, control spending, and shop for sales. All three are true today.

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