A pilot spends many hours training in a flight simulator to develop exceptional skills.  In the simulator, a pilot encounters every conceivable adverse situation he may experience in the air.  There would be no point to a pilot training for flying in only perfect conditions with no mishaps.

In the same way, the best sailors are those who have learned to master storms, fog, unfamiliar waters, and boat or equipment malfunctions.  How much would a mariner learn if every day on the water was perfect?

A surgeon spends many years of training after medical school under the direction of a skilled specialist.  Through this process the new doctor can learn what to do when complications develop and procedures don’t go as planned.

Even in nature we see instances of the positive effects of adversity.  For example, coal is transformed into diamonds only as a result of heat and pressure.  Protect a piece of coal from “hardship” and it will remain unimproved.

From the above examples it should be clear how adversity makes people stronger in every way.  But do we ever consider what success reveals.

We run to character during our difficult times because we need stability.  9-11 produced a surge in church attendance.  A broken relationship causes young people to run to their parents.  A loved one in critical condition brings even the most non-religious person to their knees in prayer in the hospital waiting room.  Why?  Because during the darkest and most difficult times of our life, character provides hope, assurance, and a foundation.  In short, these are moments of our life where character is being built brick by brick.

If adversity builds character during our most difficult times, what does success reveal during our most comfortable, prosperous, and dare I say “easy” times of life.  Surprisingly, success reveals character.

I just watched a report on players in the National Football League.  Research of the league has identified some amazing statistics.  This year, the average salary for an NFL player is 1.7 million dollars. It would take the average worker who earns a salary of $40,000 over 42 years to earn this amount.  With this incredible earning potential, it is certainly every young boys dream to enter the NFL and achieve wealth and fame.  However, the research and statistics on players after their NFL career is over are startling to say the least.  In fact, they are so scary, it may cause all those little boys dreaming of the NFL to rethink their future. The summary of the research is this:

60% of NFL players will end up bankrupt, divorced and/or homeless after retirement.

Now, here’s where it get really interesting.  That percentage, is on the LOW END! You heard me right.  To read a story documenting the lives of several pro athletes that squandered their cash, check out the link below.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1153364/index.htm

If you have ever thought generation gaps were a farce, then see how this top ten list resonates with you. The next generation – students we teach and lead - is not better or worse, they are just different. Itʼs our job to connect with them on a common playing field;  a playing field that has without question, changed. Enjoy the list!

#10 White and Yellow Pages: What do you mean let my fingers do the walking? Why in the world would you need a 20-pound book just to find someone? All I have to do now is search them on my phone and I’ll have their complete profile with a satellite picture of their house.

#9 One picture to a frame: What a waste of space to have a separate frame for each picture. One digital picture frame can encompass every person you’ve ever met and everything you’ve ever done. Now, that’s efficient.

#8 Movie rental stores: “Let me get this straight dad, you actually got in your car and drove some place just to rent a movie? Are you crazy?”

#7 Film cameras: “Film” will mean nothing to the next generation. In fact, even digital cameras — both video and still — are in danger of extinction as our smart phones take over the world.

#6 Catalogs: There’s no need to send me a book in the mail when I can see everything you have for sale, anywhere and anytime. If you want to remind me to look at it, send me an email, shoot me a text or post via social media.

#5 The Paper Map: Remember when these were available for free at every gas station. They’re practically obsolete today, and the next generation will probably have to visit a museum to find one. The days of a wife sitting in the passenger seat with a map stretched out across the dash are now replaced with a phone sitting on the same dashboard talking to you.

#4 Wired phones: Why on earth would you pay $35 every month to have a phone that plugs into a wall? For the next generation, this is a ridiculous concept. Gone are the days of one “central” phone. Every person in the household will soon (if not already) have their own phone. I mean really, can you imagine calling a phone and having to ask for someone else. How unbelievably inefficient.

#3 Newspaper classifieds: One word. CRAIGSLIST. The days are gone when you have to buy a bunch of newsprints just to see what’s for sale. Why else do you think several newspapers are now giving this once coveted space away for free?

#2 Encyclopedias: I remember when people walked door to door selling these things called encyclopedias. Imagine a time when you had to buy expensive books that were outdated before the ink was dry. This will be a nonsense term for babies born today.

#1 Forgotten friends: Remember when an old friend would bring up someone you went to high school with, and you’d say, “Oh yeah, I forgot about them!”  The next generation will automatically be in touch with everyone they’ve ever known even slightly via Facebook.

BONUS: Talking to one person at a time: Remember when it was rude to be with one person while talking to another on the phone? Kids born today will just assume that you’re supposed to use texting to maintain contact with five or six other people while pretending to pay attention to the person you happen to be physically next to.

What motivates you? Is it money? Status? Praise? Recognition? In what I believe is one of the most amazing videos available today, Daniel Pinks addresses the ancient study of motivation. Today, when we say the word motivation, we think of someone talking to a group of people and lifting their spirits with funny stories, interesting anecdotes, and often times overstated principles. Pinks is on to something different, though.  Maybe what truly motivates us is more pure and wholesome than we think. Enjoy!

I donʼt think anyone can disagree with the idea that we live in a world that is moving extremely fast. It’s so fast in fact, that itʼs getting hard to slow it down. Competition is increasing at the speed of light, globalization is spreading like a California forest fire, and of course, technology is the pimp on the corner, waiting there to offer us the next “fix” to feed the entire affair. We quickly feel the need for the next technology “fix”. The next IPAD. The next Wii. The next Droid. And the next, well, you get the idea.

Our accelerating world has also made that which was common, completely uncommon. Think about it.  Five years ago, a college degree meant something.  A four-year degree showed fortitude, perseverance, and accomplishment.  This degree once secured a job for the college graduate. Now, it guarantees the graduate absolutely nothing. In 2011 it gives you a ticket to maybe, and I do mean maybe, get into the game. The four-year degree is a commodity and advanced degrees will soon become the necessity.

Due to the acceleration of generations to come, itʼs now being said that a nation which fails to innovate, falls behind. I believe this is true. I also believe that the best way to spur innovation is to inspire children to pursue the passions and talents they were born with. We shouldn’t try to make them a cog in the system, but but guide them to be artistic leaders that become system builders, not workers.
The problem, however, is that most children donʼt know what the best version of themselves looks like. Most adults, for that matter, donʼt know either. Worse yet, neither group seems to know how to discover it.

Unfortunately, one of the main reasons for this is education. Not the people of education, but rather the system of education.  A system built upon the standards of the industrial revolution. A system that is quickly becoming outdated in a world moving faster and faster.

Its not that we have to throw the baby out with the bath water. There are parts of the current system that do work, but if we donʼt add discovery, artistry and creative elements to the current system, we will continue to see students drop out at an alarming rate.

As someone who travels the world speaking to youth, educators and leaders, I have witnessed first hand a school making enormous strides in leveraging the “creative” in kids. So, rather than give a 5-point bullet list of things to do, I instead will offer you the link to a school that impressed me during my visit. One I look forward to returning to soon.

21st educators, I give you Booker T. Washington school in Dallas, Texas.  http://btwhsptsa.org/