Chapter 2: The Cycle – Where The Problem Started

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Myth… What is a myth?

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Myth (mth) n. 1. A popular belief or story that has become associated with a person, institution, or occurrence, especially one considered to illustrate a cultural ideal. 2. A fiction or half-truth, especially one that forms part of an ideology.

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From the time you were in grade school you have heard all types of myths.

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You probably heard the story of Hercules which was the Roman name for the greatest hero of Greek mythology. Hercules was supposed to have possessed superhuman strength. He was also a champion wrestler and an unerring marksman with a bow and arrow.

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But you knew that was a myth, not true.

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How about this one – Groundhog Day?

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Traditionally, the groundhog is supposed to wake from hibernation on February 2nd each year. The groundhog will come up out of his burrow; and if he sees his shadow, he will go back down into the burrow for 6 more weeks of winter. On the other hand, if he does not see his shadow, he will remain outside and starts his year knowing spring has arrived.

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Do you believe it or not? A groundhog tells us if it is spring time or not…

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That is what we all learned in school.

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hmmm

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Here is another myth…

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Who discovered America?

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Your answer will probably be Christopher Columbus, right? Of course that is what you were also taught in grade school.

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First, let’s look at the word “discovered or discover.” What does it mean?

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Discover dis·cov·er | Discovered tr.v. dis·cov·ered To be the first, or the first of one’s group or kind, to find, learn of, or observe.

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Based on the definition of discover|discovered, Christopher Columbus could not have discovered America.

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Why… because the Native Americans were already here. Columbus may have been the first European to find America. However, America was here and being lived on by the Native Americans. So while the claim may have some truth, it may not be true at all to the Native American people. You may or may not agree with that, but I am simply building a case.

As you have just sat there reading, I have given you three examples of some myths. They ranged from the myth we know not to be true to the myth we question being true.

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Yet there is a myth that started not all that long ago. This myth has been believed by millions and in a lot of cases is still believed.

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Before I tell you the myth, it will be similar in nature to our Christopher Columbus example. .

However, as you read on you will see how they differ.

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Have you ever heard this…?

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“You need to get a good education so that you can get a good job.”

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Ever hear that before, maybe from your parents or at school?

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This statement probably started decades back during the industrial age. Parents would tell their children of the importance of a good education in order to get the best paying jobs. For that moment in time, it seemed like a good thing. Many would take that advice and did in fact get the “good” jobs.

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However, that thought pattern or mindset has passed from generation to generation; and that is where the problem lies we face today – the problem you face right now.

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Remember how the myths I spoke of earlier have passed from generation to generation whether true or not? The “get a good education so you can get a good job” myth also passed from generation to generation.

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Wait…read on.

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You may be saying, “this guy is nuts, education is important.”

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I agree with you 100%. Education is important. The problem is not with the education as much as it is with the statement which has produced the problem or what I call the “cycle.”

Education has allowed for people to get various jobs they otherwise would have not been able to get. We need educated engineers, doctors and so on…

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Imagine a different scenario. Imagine if what was passed down from generation to generation in your family was something like this.

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“You need to get a good education so you have some knowledge that will help you with your business.”

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Ah ha….

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In the majority of families, children are not encouraged to start or develop their own businesses. Children are encouraged to get a good education so they can get a good job. This is the same generational thinking as their parents and their parents.

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What if your parents had encouraged you to have a business? What if their parents had encouraged them that way, and so on?

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Your life would be dramatically different if that was followed.

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We can make many excuses now for the reason why that was not taught. But excuses are nothing but stepping stones to failure. Excuses produce nothing but more excuses.

Sure, the African American man can blame the Caucasian man. The Caucasian man can blame the African American man and what ever other groups we can use as an example.

I am not talking about an ethnicity issue right now. It makes no difference what nationality or race you are right now. I am talking about a generational way of thinking. A way of thinking that always led in one direction – to work for someone else. To allow someone else to determine your worth; to allow someone else into your daily life that had extreme control over you.

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Look at the economic conditions today (as of January 2004). Thousands of people, educated people, are losing their jobs due to company downsizing and scandals. American jobs are being outsourced to foreign countries like China and India.

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New job creation is not as high… STOP – why do you think that is?

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I know…

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Think back to your economics class in school. Remember the law of Supply and Demand? If supply is up and demand is up, this is a good thing. Conversely, if demand is up but the supply is not there, this is not good. Our economy is currently facing a supply shortage of higher paying jobs. What I mean by higher paying jobs are the jobs people are losing. These are the jobs that support their current lifestyle. These are the $40,000 + a year jobs.

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Too many people are focusing on “getting a job” rather than “creating a job.” We are back to the generational thinking issue.

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There are thousands of college students graduating each year who are looking to land that high paying job. After all, that is why they went to college anyway.

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The Problem…

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There are no jobs or at least not enough to fill the demand. Think about this, how many people do you know that went to college and actually work in the field they went to college for?

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From time to time I speak with friends from college. Here are some of the things I hear from them: “I don’t even know why I went to college. They just hired in some new person that has not been to college, and he is making more money than me.”

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Some say, “I didn’t even have to go to college for the job I am doing.”

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While others say, “I am paying back student loans and don’t even have a job in the field I went to college for.”

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Huge demand for $ jobs + no supply of $ jobs = many without $ jobs.

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What will the majority of these new college grads do? They will do the same thing other college grads have done before them and will do after them. They will settle for the job they didn’t really want.

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Why?

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You know the answer yourself by now, because of generational thinking. That is all they were told, therefore that is all they will do. They were not told that they could venture out on their own and don’t wait for something to happen but make something happen.

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There will be some college grads that will step outside the box and decide to launch out on their own, but this will not be the norm.

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Oh, maybe you are not a college grad. Maybe you have not even been to college. Perhaps no one in your family has been to college. It doesn’t matter. We are dealing with a generational thinking issue.

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Many people in society try to make the person without a college education seem inferior to the “college man.”

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Don’t you buy it!

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You are only inferior if “You” think you are inferior.

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Bill Gates co-founder of Microsoft. Who doesn’t know about Microsoft? It seems that everywhere you look Microsoft has its product on a computer. Bill Gates is reported by Forbes Magazine to be the richest person in the world. Gates went to study at Harvard University but dropped out without graduating.

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Paul Allen the other co-founder of Microsoft. Allen, friend of Bill Gates, became an early computer enthusiast. Allen went on to attend Washington State University where he dropped out after two years to pursue his and Gates’ dream of writing software commercially.

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Wally Amos the founder of Famous Amos Chocolate Cookie Company. As a senior at Food Trades Vocational High School, Wally dropped out to join the Air Force. While in the Air Force he earned his GED High School Equivalency Diploma. Amos took an idea, a passion and turned it into a million dollar company.

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Dean Kaman is the founder of DEKA Research & Development Corp. Kaman is a technological visionary. He holds more than 150 U.S. and foreign patents related to medical devices, climate control systems, and helicopter design. He attended Worcester Polytechnic Institute but left before completing his degree.

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Ron Popeil is the founder of Ronco Inc. You have probably seen him on television infomercials promoting his Rotisserie & BBQ Oven. Perhaps you have seen the Electric Food Dehydrator he created. Popeil did not have a glamorous life growing up. Popeil wanted more out of life and decided that if it was going to happen for him, he had to do something…do something to make it happen. It started with a thought, which produced an idea. That idea that was acted upon grew to what it is today.

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Do you think the guys you just read about feel inferior because they don’t have the education that some believe you must have in order to succeed in life?

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Absolutely NOT!

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These gentlemen did not let anything stop them or steal their dreams and ideas. They were determined to make it, to bring their dreams to reality.

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Have you seen the Volkswagen commercial “There are two kinds of people on the road of life…Passengers and Drivers.”

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While this is a television commercial, it has a strong message you should think about. Are you a passenger or are YOU a driver?

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Are you behind the wheel of your car or not?

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It is now time for you to move out of “the cycle” into to a higher level. This level has no boundaries, no limits. This is a level where you are the driver driving yourself where you want to go in life.

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The New You

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What myths have you allowed people to tell you over the years that have changed the path of your life? Did you fall for the “get a good education so you can get a good job” story? Do you see how the words people put in us affect our lives if we allow the words to take root in our thinking?

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Exercise

1. Write down what you have heard as a child growing up. Maybe you heard the “education equals good job” thing. Maybe you heard “you are not going to be anything.” Whatever you remember hearing as a child, write it down.

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2. If you wish you had heard something different, write down what you would have liked to have heard. Perhaps you would have liked to have heard “you can do anything you put your mind to”, or maybe “you can have your own business if you want one.”

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3. Now take what you have written and create positive affirmations about what you wanted to hear (#2). If you did not have anything for #2 because you heard positive things growing up, write affirmations for (#1).

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Example

What you wanted to hear: “You can do anything you put your mind to.”

The affirmation you create: “I can do anything I put my mind to.”

Make the affirmation personal and make it in the now, present tense.

What is “not” written in the now: “I will be able to do anything I put my mind to.” Do you see how this is not now, but future? The correct affirmation in the now is “I can do anything I put my mind to” – I can do it now.

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4. Say these newly created affirmations 5 times a day each out loud. As you do this, it will start to change and reshape your thinking. Before long you will notice huge changes in you and the way you think that will propel you to new heights..