What You Should Do, When and Why
Just as we
learn to walk in phases (first crawling, then standing, then
taking that first step), we live our lives in a sequence of
phases. For most people, the phases of life are:
Phase I
(Birth to twenties)
·
Acquiring social skills
·
Learning the difference between right and
wrong
·
Learning self-discipline (taught by
parents, teachers, and others)
·
Achieving personal development
·
Concentrating on school, college
·
Dealing with peers
·
Staying out of trouble (with the law)
·
Deciding on a career and acquiring job
skills
Phase II
(Twenties to thirties)
·
Attending graduate school (optional)
·
Getting that first job or starting a new
business
·
Avoiding debt; understanding money, credit
cards, and other financial issues
·
Developing long-term relationships
·
Experiencing parenthood
Phase III
(Thirties and forties)
·
Planning for buying a house, investing for
retirement, having kids
·
Persuading your kids to go to college
·
Learning new skills, volunteering
I have
intentionally omitted the fifties and up. By that age, decisions
made earlier in life begin to catch up with you. The Value of Time
Life is not really predictable. Many factors — the decisions you make, your family background, some hidden talent, or just pure luck — will decide your fate. However, you can maximize your chances of a good life if you understand that the key component in the equation of life is time. Time is one thing you can
never get back. Once you’ve lost it, it’s gone forever. Of
course, you can waste your teen years using drugs, dropping out
of school, getting involved in gangs, or getting pregnant. With
willpower and luck you might even be able to pull yourself out.
But you’ll lose the most important time of your life — the teen
years — which you could have used to lay a strong foundation for
the future.
The end result of
wasting teen years is playing catch-up in life. While
others are enjoying their twenties and thirties — driving
expensive cars, buying homes, traveling for leisure, advancing
their careers, raising a family, enjoying hobbies, giving to
society — you could be in a lower-paying job, trying desperately
to get the right education and skills, and looking for a way
out. Such struggles often look great in the movies. But real
life is a lot harder than that. Granted, you can undo some of
the worst life-changing mistakes, but this comes at a price.
Let’s
look at an example. Suppose you drop out of school, work at a
low-paying job, get sick of it all, and then decide one day to
go back to college. Here are the realities you’ll probably face:
·
You’ll have to take evening or part-time
classes, thus prolonging your education considerably.
·
You’ll have costly habits that you’ll have
to unlearn (a lot harder than it sounds).
·
You’ll have to make significant changes to
your lifestyle to save money for tuition. And you might have to
go into debt with school loans, while your peers are paying off
theirs.
·
Once you graduate, you’ll have to compete
with graduates much younger than you are, and many employers
prefer younger workers. (Don’t kid yourself; there is definitely
age bias in the workplace.)
Keep in mind that
time does not stand still. While you’re turning your life
around, changes are constantly taking place in the job market.
Jobs are regularly moved overseas (especially manufacturing
jobs). The remaining jobs require a lot more skills, and
technology is out-pacing almost every other job sector. Getting
a head start could give you a crucial advantage, while falling
behind could hurt you.
Life is tough. Don’t
make it tougher for yourself than necessary.
Copyright © Sumant Pendharkar. This article is adapted from his
book "Raising Yourself: Making The Right Choices" (for ages 10 -
18). ISBN 0-9708131-3-9; http://www.hillviewbooks.com |
©2010 HillviewBooks.com. Reproduction without permission is
prohibited. All rights reserved.
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