Inevitably, after a Student Success Project presentation, I get at least one question on how a student should best impress a teacher, counselor, coach and/or college admissions director. It makes me shudder and I refuse to respond. However, what I do tell them is that the most important person to impress in the success cycle is – their student.
This is the very first topic we (of the 48 they get to choose from) review when I start my presentation – “The First Person You Need To Impress is You” found under the You Are A Brand category.
We must ensure that our kids understand that to have ANY chance of success at any level, they must first have a sense of who they are. Needless, to say this sense of self-awareness changes through time and it’s our responsibility that they understand how to manage it at each turn.
We must teach them to stay true to their convictions while understanding where they are at any given moment.
Here is a quick look at seven key points in helping our students understand what it takes to “…First Impress You.” Part 2 – a breakout of each will be the next issue.
1. The people worth impressing just want you to be yourself.
2. No one else really knows what’s best for YOU.
3. YOU are the only person who can change YOUR life.
4. Society’s materialistic measurement of worth is worthless.
5. Life isn’t a race; you have nothing to prove.
6. The path to all great things passes through failure.
7. It’s impossible to please everyone anyway.
Sure, everyone gets advice on how to be and how to act. But at the end of the day it comes down to who they are and how they read their personal GPS.
The environments will be different for everyone. The life experiences will be different from student to student. It’s easy to say, “just be you,” but then they run into the challenge of knowing what “you” is all about. Because the student they are now, isn’t necessarily the same one they’ll be in six months.
For many of these students, it is tough to impress yourself first when you lack self-confidence, receiving unlimited advice, direction and insight from everyone around you. And when you do listen to others, what type of advice are you receiving? How are they telling you to be? And most important – what’s their character type?
The most important part of impressing yourself first is being honest and aware of illusions. Understanding what is true and false is the fastest way to get where you want to go. Reality is a wonderful thing in the road to success.
We should always encourage our kids to go deeper and be in touch with that part of themselves they will want to share with others. Because it is that moment which will guide them to their genuine self, when they will want to impress others!
Let’s get this straight, who is the one actually trying to make them better and who feels the pain when it doesn’t work? That would be our kids. So basically, it should be them who deserve to be impressed most by their success.
In the rawest of terms – always tell your kids to just be who they are and not try impressing someone who doesn’t care.
As students, they must understand that their job is not to impress the teacher or even their parents, but rather to learn, give 110 percent, do good work and feel good about themselves. When that happens, then everyone will be impressed.
This column is by Ritchie Lucas, Founder of The Student Success Project and Think Factory Marketing. He can be reached at 305-788-4105 or via email at ritchie@thinkfactory.com and on Facebook and You Tube as The Student Success Project.
