You never know where you will find nuggets of wisdom to help you on your journey towards your future. You can even learn a lot on a field trip if you are careful to pay attention to what is going on around you. Recently, I had the opportunity to accompany my son on a trip to a student expo at W.L. Gore & Associates.
The expo was designed to pique the interest of high school aged youth in S.T.E.M. careers and pathways. I sat and watched as a room full of engineers kept the attention of the teenaged participants with cool science demonstrations and dialogue about their futures. They talked to them about their pathways into careers in science and engineering, the courses that they were interested in during their school years, their hobbies and interests. They encouraged the participants to find their passion in life and pursue it, not to be afraid to fail, and to try new things. I watched as my own son was engaged, asking and answering questions, and leading a group of his peers in an impromptu science project. It was indeed a sight to behold. The young men left the event excited and talking about the career possibilities that only hours before were foreign to them. Not only what is it a learning experience for my son, but it was also a learning experience for me.
I began thinking about the things that we, as adults, leaders, and Christians, could learn from the what was shared by the people who clearly loved what they do. These are five takeaways for us all:
- Optimism is regenerative.
- We need to be encouraged to dream big.
- Mentoring is vital.
- Passion is key.
- Question everything.
Optimism is regenerative
Sometimes adults forget what it is like to be young. Youth was a time when we tried everything, failed at some things, but were afraid of nothing. A time when our peers encouraged us to think that the best was always on the horizon. When we have become jaded and cynical by the ups and downs of life, we can easily forget that the sun does always shine again. Even more unfortunately, we can sometimes cast our shade or cloudy outlook upon those around us. Optimism is not only regenerative, restoring our energy and positive outlook on the future, but it is contagious!
We need to be encouraged to dream big
Each of us needs those persons in our life who will shake us to snap out of our funk, point us to the possibilities of the future, and tell us to reach for the stars. Let’s be honest. After hearing the word “no”, suffering disappointment, failure, or defeat multiple times we can set our sights lower, believing that we should only pursue the things that we know we can achieve. Our faith calls us to more! The best among us haven’t achieved their God-given dreams and visions by setting their sights low. We all need those people around us who will tell us to aim high, and if we fail to pick ourselves up and try again.
Mentoring is vital
We all need models to follow. Many believe that we can make it to our ultimate destination alone. We cannot. We need both God and others. For most, the places that we seek or are called to go are places we have never been before. We need guides. These guides can be mentors, coaches, teachers, leaders. I personally believe that every leader needs a coach. Everyone needs someone who is helping them get to where they are called to go.
Passion is key
We will pursue, with reckless abandon, those things that we are passionate about. What are you passionate about? What is the thing that you would do for free (without compensation) everyday for the rest of your life? Is that the field you are working in? Passion is key to sustained success and vitality. The things that we are passionate about drive us, they push us to be the best at them. A college degree or a paycheck can never push us to do what passion can. Find your passion and pursue it!
Question everything
This speaks to the power of self-reflection and observation. Several of the speakers told the students that observation was key to becoming a good scientist or engineer. Always seeing what is around you and asking questions about how it works, and how it can be made better. I believe these are great attributes to add into our lives. We should always be observing our lives, our actions, our relationships, and the outcomes they produce. As a result of this kind of ongoing self-reflection we can make the needed course corrections to help us reach our goals.
What do you think? Are these five things important to you? Have you seen them help you as you live and lead? Are there other things that you would add to the list? I would love to hear your feedback in the comments! Stay blessed and keep pressing toward the mark.