Page 55 - Think Like a Champion
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                                                      DONALD J. TRUMP
                                 keeps him young and eager to learn more, no matter how erudite he
                                 is considered to be. He’s a great example of remaining a student—
                                 every day is another opportunity to learn something new.
                                    Sometimes we are so zealous to become successful that we for-
                                 get about what is significant. The background for success should in-
                                 clude some intrinsic values as well as monetary values. We should
                                 be aware of our culture and other cultures, our history and their
                                 history, and we should not live in what has been termed “a cul-
                                 tural vacuum.” Someone once said that not knowing history was
                                 like being a leaf that didn’t know it was part of a tree.That’s an in-
                                 teresting visual and it applies to many people.We are individually
                                 responsible for our education, and that applies whether you’re in
                                 school or not.
                                    If I sound tough on this subject, I am. I see no value whatso-
                                 ever in believing ignorance to be an attribute. It isn’t. It’s good to
                                 start each day by saying to yourself, “What can I learn today that
                                 I didn’t know before?” It opens you up to more information and
                                 net worth as an individual. Why live restricted lives due to lack of
                                 knowledge when there are so many resources available to us today?
                                    Another interesting aspect of history is that it will lead us to
                                 seeing that we are all a part of it. History isn’t just in the past—it’s
                                 happening now. How can you know what you’re a part of if you
                                 don’t know what it is to begin with? The world didn’t start with
                                 your birth, and it won’t end with your death either. That doesn’t
                                 mean you’re not a part of the scheme of things. To the contrary, it
                                 means that you are.
                                    Back to the leaf image. What if you know you are a leaf, but
                                 you’re not sure what a tree is? I’d say the best thing to do is to find
                                 out what a tree is. It’s pretty simple. It reminds me of an Appren-
                                 tice task that’s enough of a challenge to set the apprentices out to
                                 discover and research some things before they jump in to the task
                                 at hand.


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