Practical wisdom for tomorrow's leaders
Jack Spatafora
Park Ridge - Nobody asked me, but here's an old teacher's advice to this summer's college-bound kids (before they get caught up in the distraction of their excitement):
* Don't plan to save the world. The world will do what it's been doing for ages without you. Instead plan to save the best you that you are this day, especially your young passion and self-confidence, because such fire will serve you well during those times when your world turns dark and bleak.
* Don't plan to become president. That job rarely goes to the best leader, mostly to the best campaigner. Instead hone your skills as a voter so that from local dogcatcher to the White House, you can spot goodness and fight evil.
* Don't plan to become a millionaire. In an entrepreneurial society like ours, making money is easy. Making it your tool instead of your master is what's hard.
* Don't plan to become an apprentice to the rich and powerful. From the serpent in Eden to the moneymakers on Wall Street to the mythmakers in Washington, too much power will surely corrupt you.
* Don't plan to win every race. Whether it's the gold or the ring or the plaque, they only mark the runners, not measure them. The real measure of victory is how much you give of yourself to the race.
* Don't plan to be a star. Stardom is out there; authentic achievement is in here. Inside yourself. Your psyche. Your conscience. Your soul. That will be the true marquee of your life.
So as you start getting pumped for that big journey, know this now. As much as you're about to learn about the world, it will be of small consequence when compared to what you will have learned about yourself by your 25th reunion.
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