In the late 1800s, schools were designed and intended
to teach obedience. During the rise of our industrial
age, big corporations needed workers for their
factories. The purpose of the academic system was to
create obedient and compliant workers who never
asked questions. There were already plenty of
scholars at the time.
Thus, the creation of the standardized test. Our
academic system itself became a factory to
standardize all of the rising students to ensure they fit
the desired mold. If the student failed the tests, they
would be held back another year to try again.
Despite the fact that our
world has dramatically
changed since the late
1800s, our school systems
are structured in the same
way. Despite the fact that
many of us can connect to
the internet, there are
10,000 teachers giving the
same lecture on any given
day across the country.
The internet has changed
the world. If you want to
learn something, you don’t
need to get an
encyclopedia anymore. You can go to Wikipedia, or
Youtube, or a million other places online. There are
tons of programs that teach people how to learn
things effectively at optimal speeds.
The world is moving to an entrepreneurial and
innovation-driven economy. It is projected that by
2020, over one billion people will be working from their
homes. In the future of work, less people will work for
one company as generalists and instead will work for
multiple companies as specialists.
The world doesn’t
need obedient and
compliant factory
workers anymore.
The world needs
artists, creatives,
hackers, and
innovators. We’re
done with
apathetically living
out our lives in
school and at our 9-
to-5 jobs. We’re sick
of it. We’re done
with it.
And the best part —
the new economy
wants it as well.
So with this backdrop, we can now examine why C
students are generally better off than their A and B
counterparts.
1. They question the validity of the academic
system
C students are not sold on the academic system.
They’re not sold on the factory approach. They see a
great deal of good that comes from it, but they don’t
worship the system. They see its many flaws.
Furthermore, they know that learning can occur in
different ways than the system presents, and that
learning can happen entirely outside of the system.
Thus, academia is only one approach to learning for C
students.
These students aren’t afraid to challenge the status-
quo. Even if it’s uncomfortable to stand out, it’s less
uncomfortable than moving forward in clearly the
wrong direction.
2. They are not submissive followers
C students think for themselves. They don’t walk
between the lines without first questioning why those
lines exist. Rather than having someone else tell them
how to live their lives, C students come up with their
own agendas. They zig when everyone else zags.
3. They are not trying to please and impress
their superiors
C students don’t spend enormous amounts of energy
trying to impress their superiors. They respect and
love their teachers, but they don’t worship them and
obey their every request. They don’t see their teachers
the guardians of their success. They don’t depend on
references or resumés anymore. They realize that in
today’s world, their work speaks for itself — it’s online
for everyone to see.
4. They have bigger things to worry about
Ironically, if you’re obsessed with your grades, you’re
not thinking enough about your future. People who
get C’s are more strategic about how they spend their
time. While their classmates are putting tons of energy
into an arbitrary indicator, C students are actually
pursuing their dreams. They aren’t waiting until after
school to start living.
5. They have their own definition of success
A and B students seek security externally in the form
of “good grades.” However, C students know that
security can only really be experienced internally. They
know who they are. No external standard of success
will ever compare to their own self-awareness and
acceptance — they’ve defined success for themselves.
They don’t care what the masses are competing for, C
students chart their own paths.
6. They know how to leverage other people’s
abilities
While A and B students try to do it all themselves, C
students build an army around them of talented
people who compensate for their weaknesses. Like
Henry Ford, they aren’t afraid to admit they don’t know
it all. On one occasion, Ford was being harassed for
not being intelligent. In response to an offensive line
of questioning, he pointed his finger at the
questioning lawyer and replied:
“Let me remind you that I have a row of electric push-
buttons on my desk, and by pushing the right button, I
can summon to my aid men who can answer any
question I desire to ask concerning the business to
which I am devoting most of my efforts. Now, will you
kindly tell me, why I should clutter up my mind with
general knowledge, for the purpose of being able to
answer questions, when I have men around me who
can supply any knowledge I require?”
7. They prefer self-directed learning
C students love learning. They just prefer to dictate
the direction of their own learning — they don’t want
someone else to tell them how to think. They prefer to
explore and discover for themselves, to study what
they are naturally drawn to. They don’t try to force
things, but instead lean into their passions.
8. They’re not perfectionists
“If you are not embarrassed by the first version of
your product, you’ve launched too late.” — Reid
Hoffman.
Done is better than perfect. C students understand
and live by this. They focus on results and getting stuff
done. They know that perfectionism leads to
procrastination. They prefer to jump right in and learn
through their mistakes, through what the market tells
them.
This is why so many successful entrepreneurs
struggled in school. They understand that failure is a
beautiful teacher, even though many of them got
kicked out of school for failing.
9. They don’t waste energy thoughtlessly
In The 4-Hour Body, Tim Ferriss teaches what he calls,
“minimum effective dose” (MED) — the smallest dose
that will produce a desired outcome. Anything beyond
that is wasteful.
To boil water, the MED is 212°F (100°C) at standard air
pressure. Boiled is boiled — higher temperatures will
not make it more boiled. If you need 15 minutes in the
sun to trigger a melanin response, 15 minutes is your
MED for tanning. More than 15 minutes is redundant
and will just result in burning and a forced break from
the beach.
C students understand this. Their goal is learning.
Anything beyond that is wasteful. The energy cost to
go from an A- to an A is generally far greater than the
actually learning outcome. Thus, it is often wasted
energy. C students don’t put more energy into
things than they need to. They are efficient, effective,
and focused.
10. They are dreamers
While the A and B students are listening carefully to
understand what will be on the test, the C students are
looking out the window at the clouds and beautiful
landscapes. They’ve already gathered the MED of the
lecture. Consequently, they’ve freed up several hours
each day to dream of a better world. They are thinking
about the big things they will do in life. They are
working out important problems in their minds.
You think they’re jotting notes from the lecture?
Wrong. They are detailing their ideas and plans. When
they go home, they’ll do the MED of homework and
spend the majority of their time with friends or
working towards their dreams.
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