Go Back to College to Stimulate Your Mind

Good morning, Live Better than a Billionaire-a-Holics!

Are you feeling motivated this morning?
I certainly hope so. I know that I am!

The title of this post may make you think that
I'm going to make a pitch for taking courses,
earning degrees or becoming a professor. If any
of those alternatives feel right for you, that's great!
But my purpose is different.

Today's subject was inspired by spending a day
near my old college campus. Think of the
experience as being like going to a reunion for
which no one else showed up . . . but that non-
occurrence caused me no disappointment.

I had several reactions that interested me.

First, I felt like I was about 18 again as I
remembered so many experiences that I had
then. Each memory jogged another memory in
turn, and I found myself able to look forward
into my future life with my own eyes as an 18
year old. I remembered what my goals, my
aspirations and my fondest dreams were. It was
a totally new perspective, and I learned quite a
bit from that view point. I've been pondering
on those new thoughts since then.

Let me give you an example. One of the first
things I remember seeing on campus was a statue
that had been a gift from the Chinese people to
my college. I thought that such a gift was pretty
extraordinary at the time and considered it to be
even more so on seeing the statue again. I found
myself filled with wonder at 18 about what the
college had done to earn such a wonderful reward.
I still don't know the complete answer, but seeing
the statue again filled me with a desire to show
gratitude towards those who have helped me. I've
come up with quite a few ideas that wouldn't
otherwise have occurred to me, and I'm glad that
I've had these thoughts. I'm sure the ways that I
choose to act on those thoughts will bring me
even greater satisfaction.

Second, I considered the courses that I took in
college and their applicability to advancing my
knowledge, skills and awareness for what I have
done after graduation. Since I now help graduate
students and executives learn, I also have the
perspective of what works well in aiding people to
improve. I was appalled to realize how badly the
classes and assignments were structured. Most
classes and books were just "data dumps" of fairly
irrelevant information. Most of those data have
since been proven to be wrong. The classes that
featured discussions wandered around into
irrelevant territory more often than they hit pay
dirt. The assignments primarily tested whether I
had read the incorrect data or not. As I reflected
on these experiences, I realized that classes hadn't
contributed very much to my education. I mainly
learned to stay awake despite being totally bored
by taking virtually verbatim notes. Almost
everything that I learned that I still use today came
from struggling with some difficult practical
assignment on my own. I could have stayed home
for four years and accomplished more if I had
spent the classroom time working instead on
additional difficult, practical assignments.

Third, I thought about times when I have sat in on
college classes since then in these same hallowed
halls. My recollection was that the quality of the
learning experience had gotten worse rather than
better. Why? The teaching methods were just as
atrocious as ever . . . and two aspects had
deteriorated: Students with irrelevant and repetitive
comments were allowed to go on longer . . . wasting
more class time than I remembered from the past;
and everyone was focused on tiny issues. When I
was a college student, everyone wanted to engage
the biggest issues. Instead, it seemed like college
has begun to specialize in the kind of scintillating
and helpful topics that had fascinated philosophers
and theologians in the Middle Ages like how many
angels can dance on the head of a pin.

What did this mean? The only guess I could make
was that college has become a place to hang out for
four years without having to worry about
addressing pressing social issues. I suspect that
this is the result of college being valued more now
for its value as a status emblem than because people
want to learn something in particular at college.

Fourth, I found myself thinking about my children.
What had their college experiences been like? I
began to realize that they hadn't gained much
traction in learning and being engaged until they
began to pursue career-specific goals related to
activities that stimulated their passion. I resolved
to encourage them to gain even more education in
those areas that stoke their imaginations, their
greatest aspirations and their passions.

This resolve was strengthened last night when one
of my sons called to tell me that he had received a
major and unexpected promotion that will launch
his career off into a totally new direction. I could
hear the excitement in his voice and almost touch
the electricity in his commitment . . . and was
reminded of myself at 18 looking at that Chinese
statue. It was a great moment for both of us.

I don't have a list of things for you to do when you
go back to college. I just encourage you to do so
and think about whatever strikes you.

If you didn't go to college, head back to high school
for a parallel experience. It'll do you just as much good.

After absorbing your experience, I hope you
will write some notes about what you learned
as comments to this post. I'm sure others will
gain from your experience and perspectives.

Can a billionaire do better? I doubt it. Can you
imagine Bill Gates being able to wander around in
Harvard Yard undisturbed? I suspect that he would
be mobbed within three minutes. So much for the
chance to enjoy some quiet reflections. A fairly recent
Wall Street Journal article indicated that Gates goes
away annually for a retreat to an undisclosed location
to do his reflecting. I find it sad that he cannot
duplicate what I had so much fun doing.

**********************************

N.B. As you can tell, I'm experimenting with color. Let me know what you like and what I should change about my use of color. Many thanks to Linda Grace for her suggestions which I am following!

Please let me know what else you would like to learn, and I'll do my best to help in future blog entries.

Here are some upcoming subjects:

Tomorrow, I will share with you the pleasures of Bible study groups.

On Monday, let's look at how to enjoy being with your cousins more.

Tuesday, the subject is being a great aunt or uncle.

Wednesday, let's consider great ways to enjoy breakfast better than a billionaire.

On Thursday, we'll visit the mall to see how to outdo a billionaire.

Friday, I'll pay homage to my friend and mentor, Peter Drucker, who died recently.

If you are new to this blog, be sure to check out the updated table of contents entry that I posted on November 9. The table of contents will help you find earlier entries that may be of interest. I'll update this table of contents every week or so for your convenience.

August 31 was the most frequently read blog entry to date. Be sure to check it out!

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Live Spiritually Better than a Billionaire at http://livespirituallybetterthanabillionaire.blogspot.com/,

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Create Your Own 2,000 Percent Solutions at
http://2000percentsolutions.blogspot.com/,

Enjoy Mansions Better than a Billionaire at http://enjoymansionsbetterthanabillionaire.blogspot.com/,

Enjoy Football Better than a Billionaire at http://enjoyfootballbetterthanabillionaire.blogspot.com/ and

Be a World Hero Better than a Billionaire at http://beaworldherobetterthanabillionaire.blogspot.com/.

I offer individual on-line tutorials and in-person seminars on living better than a billionaire on five dollars extra a day, creating 2,000 percent solutions (20 times the results with the same effort), developing more profitable business models and designing strategies that work regardless of the business environment. For information, contact me at ultimatecompetitiveadvantage@yahoo.com.

I am available to you as a speaker on these subjects. You can find my background at http://livebetterthanabillionaireon5dollars.blogspot.com/2005_08_30_livebetterthanabillionaireon5dollars_archive.html/.

May God bless you.

Donald W. Mitchell, Your Dream Concierge

Copyright 2005 Donald W. Mitchell