Little Epiphanies.

It's funny, for 3, 4 years, I have always been quite constant. Slowly learning about myself... everything just coming in very very little snippets.

Now that I am 21, and a college grad... somehow, things are starting to make sense and crashing onto me. Albeit a little slow to change.

Today in my entrepreneurship class, we looked at Johnsonville Sausages company. We watched a video of the CEO, Ralph Stayer, talk to his subordinates in a lecture hall setting, about the company organizational structure.

He says,

If you expect good things, they will happen.

In essence, whatever you expect, will become. Good or bad.
And it makes sense to me, because now, I recall the quotes I use to note, like expect the best. Work towards the best. Because, if you expect yourself to be the best, surely you set your standards high and have little compromise. Likewise, if you are in a race and you expect yourself to lose, how will you win? You hardly have the mindset for triumph.

It dawned on me that many a time, when I am confident in myself in a game, or an exam, or project, or even an essay, that when I sit there and I feel it, deep in my bones, in my gut, that somehow I will be good, that I will win.... usually I do. At least, I get something good.
Now, does that translate into... the gut feeling being an expectation to succeed? Is that me expecting something without fully knowing it in the past?

Another thing that occurred to me in class today was something my professor said, that Ralph Stayer mentioned in his lecture.

You can't be like everyone else. You can't strive to be like everyone else. Because then you would be average. Greatness is going beyond what everyone else is, and having that edge.

It makes PERFECT sense! If you were like everyone else, wouldn't you be one with the crowd? You would truly be average. How will you EVER stand out?
I always wanted to be great. I always want to be EXCELLENT, creme of the crop, to stand out. Maybe this is why many a time I feel like my mentality prevents me from being like everyone else, to fit into a certain crowd. I just don't appreciate having to hang out all the time, to just be unproductive and stew in each other's company. Perhaps this is why... because I don't want to be average. Why would my mentality be average? Maybe that is the difference.
Maybe to stand out and be excellent, you have to sacrifice that fitting in. You have to go with what you feel, and nerd or no nerd, just do what you want to do, especially if it is productive. That way, you don't sacrifice the greatness in you for mediocrity, to be one with the others that don't mind the 9-5.
I just want to go beyond. And be brilliant.

Maybe that's it... and maybe caring so much about a group and being important is holding me back. Especially since... let's face it... I hardly truly care about many of them.

Wow.. today is definitely a great day for progress.