Many families ruin their college admissions process by
focusing on one day—when the decision from a first choice college arrives. A Yes and they celebrate what feels like a
just reward for all the student’s work. A No, and they use words like
“devastated.”
Here’s the thing—that one particular day doesn’t matter much
in the long term.
Nobody’s future is determined by one college-related event
on one day. It might feel that way, but
I’ve never met a happy, successful adult who gives all the credit to a fat envelope
that arrived 20 years ago. And any grown
person who’s unhappy, unfulfilled, or under-achieving and blames it on the fact
that Duke turned them down when they were seventeen would be completely
delusional. Really, how long does it
take for someone to get up off the mat?
What does matter?
Effort. Character. A willingness to face challenges and learn
from failures. And most importantly,
consistency. Keep working hard and
becoming a person you can be proud of.
A little bit more…every single day.
That’s how happy and successful people get that way. Not by securing one outcome they hope will
define their lives, but by showing up, every day, over and over again.
Add up thousands of days worth of progress and you'll achieve much
more than one big day could ever deliver.