The theme of the previous column dealt with the importance of accepting reality, anticipating change and embracing opportunity. The “out of season” bout with inclement weather earlier this month galvanized my thought around another interesting question #- is it ever really too late to change?
Just as it seemed as if the time had passed for the arctic blast of winter to hold sway over our region, so too does it occasionally appear that the window of opportunity to transform oneself into the individual that you could have been has closed.
In the case of education, students frequently give up on a class, on a year in school or on their education in general, when it appears that the odds of achieving success are stacked against them. How may times have you heard someone utter the words “Why bother, I'm not going to pass” or “It's too late, besides I just don't understand?” Far too often, I would argue.
One of the greatest lessons we can impart to others and incorporate into our own approach to personal growth is that it never is too late to make positive change. “It's not over until it's over,” as the famous saying goes. Now, it is important to have a healthy mix of a sense of reality with a sense of opportunity. For example, the window has probably closed on the chances of me being drafted to play quarterback for the New York Giants or Buffalo Bills. I'm realistic and have come to terms with this fact. However, it's not too late for me to commit to maintaining a daily regimen of regular exercise and healthy diet in order to live a long, healthy life. It may be too late for me to become an astronaut or a world famous orthopedic surgeon, but I still can commit to becoming a person who believes in the power of continual learning and personal development.
The key point is this #- while people throughout history have struggled with varying degrees of disappointment, adversity and even downright chaos within their lives, the reality is that it's never too late to become better today in some way, shape or form, than you were the day before. Just realizing this should give great hope to many people that have grown disillusioned over time, beaten down by the harsh realities of work, school or life in general.
I have had the great privilege to witness firsthand the power of people making a commitment to daily, continual self-improvement. Watching people achieve the impossible, or at the very least unlikely, is one of the great perks of my job. When there is a desire to improve, there is hope. When there is hope, there is opportunity.
Think of the incredible number of inventions, innovations and breakthroughs largely attributable to not giving up and listening to the doubters, to committing to pressing on. If not for persistence, the Wright Brothers would never have lifted their plane into the sky, Neil Armstrong would never have walked on the moon and Jonas Salk would never have developed a vaccine for Polio. If not for unwavering passion for self-improvement, the great Jackie Robinson would never have broken into major league baseball 60 years ago. No - it's never really too late, never too late to make a change for the better.
Because of my propensity for wordiness, I frequently defer to the following three straight-forward, enlightened and yet succinct quotes from three persistent overachievers to make the final point:
“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.”
- Sir Winston Churchill
“Things turn out best for the people who make the best out of the way things turn out.”
- Coach John Wooden
“I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.”
- Thomas Edison
Learning is a lifelong endeavor. Maintaining the will to continue to learn is a necessity in the competitive climate in which we now exist.
If you haven't accepted this reality, don't worry, it's not too late.
After all, if you're conscious, coherent and able to read this, it is within your power to improve.
Every day, the choice is yours, but remember one thing #- improvement is impossible without learning; and the love of learning, the commitment to pressing on, is the great equalizer in our society.
Continuous education, both formal and informal, is the key. Anybody feel like watching “Hoosiers?”
Shawn Bissetta is principal of Dana L. West High School in Port Byron
In the case of education, students frequently give up on a class, on a year in school or on their education in general, when it appears that the odds of achieving success are stacked against them. How may times have you heard someone utter the words “Why bother, I'm not going to pass” or “It's too late, besides I just don't understand?” Far too often, I would argue.
One of the greatest lessons we can impart to others and incorporate into our own approach to personal growth is that it never is too late to make positive change. “It's not over until it's over,” as the famous saying goes. Now, it is important to have a healthy mix of a sense of reality with a sense of opportunity. For example, the window has probably closed on the chances of me being drafted to play quarterback for the New York Giants or Buffalo Bills. I'm realistic and have come to terms with this fact. However, it's not too late for me to commit to maintaining a daily regimen of regular exercise and healthy diet in order to live a long, healthy life. It may be too late for me to become an astronaut or a world famous orthopedic surgeon, but I still can commit to becoming a person who believes in the power of continual learning and personal development.
The key point is this #- while people throughout history have struggled with varying degrees of disappointment, adversity and even downright chaos within their lives, the reality is that it's never too late to become better today in some way, shape or form, than you were the day before. Just realizing this should give great hope to many people that have grown disillusioned over time, beaten down by the harsh realities of work, school or life in general.
I have had the great privilege to witness firsthand the power of people making a commitment to daily, continual self-improvement. Watching people achieve the impossible, or at the very least unlikely, is one of the great perks of my job. When there is a desire to improve, there is hope. When there is hope, there is opportunity.
Think of the incredible number of inventions, innovations and breakthroughs largely attributable to not giving up and listening to the doubters, to committing to pressing on. If not for persistence, the Wright Brothers would never have lifted their plane into the sky, Neil Armstrong would never have walked on the moon and Jonas Salk would never have developed a vaccine for Polio. If not for unwavering passion for self-improvement, the great Jackie Robinson would never have broken into major league baseball 60 years ago. No - it's never really too late, never too late to make a change for the better.
Because of my propensity for wordiness, I frequently defer to the following three straight-forward, enlightened and yet succinct quotes from three persistent overachievers to make the final point:
“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.”
- Sir Winston Churchill
“Things turn out best for the people who make the best out of the way things turn out.”
- Coach John Wooden
“I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.”
- Thomas Edison
Learning is a lifelong endeavor. Maintaining the will to continue to learn is a necessity in the competitive climate in which we now exist.
If you haven't accepted this reality, don't worry, it's not too late.
After all, if you're conscious, coherent and able to read this, it is within your power to improve.
Every day, the choice is yours, but remember one thing #- improvement is impossible without learning; and the love of learning, the commitment to pressing on, is the great equalizer in our society.
Continuous education, both formal and informal, is the key. Anybody feel like watching “Hoosiers?”
Shawn Bissetta is principal of Dana L. West High School in Port Byron
Citizen
Hot Jobs
New! Off the Menu
The Citizens' Say
Post your comment - click hereThere are No comments posted.