Ten things every kid should know

1. Accept Your Power of Choice

Success is the intentional, pre-meditated use of choice and decision. Unless you choose–with certainty–what it is you want, you accept table scraps by default! The quality of your future years is largely determined by the quality of the choices you make when you are young.

2. Respect Reality – Face the Facts

True and accurate information is essential to success. Reality is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Deny reality, and you will soon discover that life is a game of truth or consequences. Tell the truth and demand the truth from others, otherwise you’re toast.

3. Take Responsibility – Make No Excuses

Excuses are convenient, temporary scapegoats. Sometime, somewhere and somehow they will come back and make things very uncomfortable. Dreams die under a burden of excuses; they are a character deficiency, which destroys your potential. Make a no excuses policy and stick to it!

4. Character Counts!

Everything you say, and do complements or compromises your character. Always do the right thing, because having character is much more important than being a character. When all is said and done, all a person has is their character and integrity nothing else really matters.

5. Make Everything Count

Every thought, decision, and action moves you closer to or further from your goals. Look at it this way, if you spend an hour exercising you have just moved north towards a healthier life, if after, you have a greasy cheeseburger and fries you have now gone south – got it?

6. Practice Self-Discipline

If you don’t discipline yourself, you are sure to be disciplined by others. Every act of self-discipline moves you toward your goals, and every exception takes you off course. Don’t believe me, huh? Chew on this, run up your credit cards real high, be late on a few payments and see how quickly those companies are to teach you a thing or two about discipline.

7. Continue Your Education

There will never be a day that will not require dedication, discipline, good judgment, and energy. Life is an ongoing journey, with lots of beginnings and continuations. We get better when we do better and we do better when we know better. Education is the ONLY answer!

8. Commit to Excellence

A commitment to excellence can help you capture true wealth and realize the inherent value of your potential. A lack of commitment devalues potential, credibility, and reputation. Mediocrity is a choice—not always made consciously—but still a choice. Choose excellence!

9. Learn From Failure

Sorry kid, but your not going to win them all. Failure serves an indispensable function in the production of your success. It provides information for you to learn from and apply. So don’t cry and suck your thumb when you lose, get back in the game better prepared to win.

10. Have Fun

Life is short, so enjoy it while you can. You are accountable for all you do as well as for the permitted pleasures that you fail to enjoy during your lifetime. Count the day, week, and life lost if you have not laughed or if you have not played because fun is essential to the good life!