Ten things successful women would have done differently in high school

What is behind you and what is in front of you pales in comparison to what is within you. “- Ralph Waldo Emerson

About a year ago, I read an article written by someone who was giving advice to his younger self. I found it interesting, as I am always interested in learning from my mistakes and from the mistakes of others. I’m very focused on the success of young women in high school and thought it might be interesting to find out what some of the more successful women in high school would have done differently. High school is truly the stepping stone to future success and I will always be an advocate for hard work and high achievement.

I devised a questionnaire and asked 60 highly successful women what advice they would give to high school girls who yearn for great success in their lives, too. My list of successful women included those who had reached the pinnacle of success in their respective fields, such as a Supreme Court justice, various CEOs and CFOs, law and medical professors at the most elite colleges in the country, a university. President, a governor, multiple senators, a championship-winning athlete, an Academy Award-winning actress, and a Pulitzer Prize-winning author. Although it took me about a year to contact and collect my responses from these women, I was pleasantly surprised by their willingness to share their experiences and advice with me. It was also interesting that many of these women shared similar responses. In my previous research studies, high school girls who successfully accepted this advice ended up in the most elite universities in the country. There may not be a scientific correlation at the moment, but it’s an interesting result nonetheless. I have posted this in my other articles, which I encourage you to read.

The following are the top ten things these successful women would have done differently in high school and some tips they shared, ranked in order of most responses:

1. Never let go of your dreams and dream big– Your dreams become your inspiration to work harder and set goals to achieve great achievements. These women reported that they intentionally chose goals that were difficult to achieve, such as becoming a partner in a prestigious law firm or becoming a full professor at age 35, becoming a Supreme Court justice, and running for governor and to win. Just because a state has never elected a female governor doesn’t mean it can’t happen. If you believe in yourself, you can make it happen. If you focus, work hard enough, and stay away from distractions in high school, anything is possible. Many of the women I interviewed told me that high school, in retrospect, is a small part of the bigger picture and they were focused on the long term, not the short term. They advised staying away from drama and negative peer pressure in high school and just going your own unique path.

2. Learn to say no “– Do not pretend to be something you are not; be yourself. You are not trying to please the world and you should not do anything that you are not comfortable with. “No” is a very powerful word and respondents mentioned that it will be of great use to you in the future if you learn it now. They also commented that it is better to stick out in some areas than to spread out so thin that you can’t stand out at all. They also reiterated that parents are generally right, so listen to them and don’t discount their advice and opinions because experience does matter.

3. Success and money are truly the result of hard work, courage, and determination.– Sorry to burst your bubble, but there really isn’t a free ride or luck that gets you to the top. It’s about hard work, determination, and dedication. These women stayed focused on the bottom line and worked longer hours and related more than their peers. They were willing to take risks, work harder, and achieve higher levels of education. An interesting point was that all of these women sacrificed something today for higher performance tomorrow. Respondents reported their exceptionalism and drive to continue to achieve as drivers of their success.

Four. Stay Away From People Who Tell You You Can’t– The overwhelming advice on this point was not to let others judge you. No matter what others think of you, it is what you think of yourself that makes the difference. It is this strong sense of yourself that will tell you the direction and the choices you will eventually have to make in determining your future endeavors. Keeping toxic people out of your life allows you to be successful and focus on achieving your goals. They also advised not to give up something that you are passionate about. Many told me that they regretted that they stopped playing the piano or other musical instrument and cannot afford the time to learn it today. Time is precious and they advised sticking to a hobby or passion as it will enrich your life at a later time.

5. Grudges will never get you anywhere, let them go– It is important to understand that everyone has an opinion or belief that may differ from yours and should be the basis for discussion and learning, not resentment and avoidance. The ability to forgive has produced great leaders, such as Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi, who recognized that by forgiving the people who hold you back, who have managed to hurt you, and forgiving yourself for the people you have hurt, you alleviate toxicity. . That robs you of energy, ambition and self-confidence. Essentially, it diminishes your leadership ability. Learn from the past and embrace the future.

6. Take care of yourself now– Studies continue to appear showing that what we do when we are younger can have dire consequences for us as we age. Now is the time to develop healthy lifestyle changes. Exercising and eating healthy, along with a determination not to smoke, use drugs, or abuse alcohol, are all imperatives for leading a longer, happier, and more successful life. Get at least seven hours of sleep a night and try to avoid driving. Respondents said these bad habits will show up in their 30s and 40s and prevention is key.

7. Be curious and take risks– “You cannot cross the sea just standing and looking at the water” is a famous quote from Rabindranath Tagore. Each reaction requires an action. You will never reach your goals if you don’t risk it. Every decision carries risk, but you just need to win more than you don’t. The fact is, you’re not even in the game without risking intervening. Take the road less traveled – These respondents said it made a difference in their lives.

8. Failure is inevitable, but it can make you stronger– One thing these women had in common is that they were rejected from something they wanted intensely at least once. They each took it as a sign of working even harder and that is what they attribute to their great success. Each of your failures is charting a path to your eventual success. Michael Jordan, who is considered the greatest basketball player in history, was banned from his varsity team numerous times and said, “I have failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” How do you really know what a success is if you haven’t experienced a failure? These women advised accepting failure and working harder for an even better result.

9. Study, study and study– Get out of video games and reality TV and take time to improve your grades. With all the social networks out there, it’s hard not to let them invade your life, but you have to. The difference between a valedictorian and a salutatorian can generally be narrowed down to one grade in high school. Colleges love to show off the number of farewell students and often offer more scholarships and admissions. Students who work hard and succeed in high school learn to develop high expectations and demand stellar results of themselves, which, in turn, become life-long traits. As Socrates so eloquently said, “Wisdom begins in wonder,” so begin to contemplate and study.

10. Enter the university you really want to attend– According to Vanderbilt law and economics professor Joni Hersch, who has researched and published on this topic, students who attend low-level undergraduate institutions rarely go to top-tier graduate schools. Even more daunting are those who do, rarely achieving the earning power of their peers who attended elite colleges. Women have it much more difficult: A lower-level college graduate who attended a higher-level law school, for example, earns only about 60 percent of the salary of a lawyer with a bachelor’s degree from an elite-level university. Christopher Avery, professor of public policy at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, has published and researched the university as a mode of social mobility. Students who earn a degree from an elite university, even those with unremarkable grades and test scores, are far ahead of those who don’t, so they will never catch up. The networks, resources and teaching in elite schools generally cannot rival other universities and set the path to success in motion. The most elite recruiters go to the most elite colleges. Recruiters often like to select candidates from the elite universities they attended. The important thing here is to work hard and get into the best university you can. It will make a difference, according to respondents and research.

This was an interesting and challenging project for me personally. As a sophomore in high school with two high-achieving sisters currently attending elite colleges, I have seen firsthand how the right decisions in high school can affect options for future success. I hope this list helps guide you to a life full of opportunities.

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