The big question of the age today is this. Do you need a lot of education to be successful?
Think about it. Some of the world’s most skilled and successful individuals were also the most unlikely candidates for success in their field! They were not the best, nor the smartest, nor the most talented, and many of them – even some of the greatest thinkers and innovators – were the least educated.
But they succeeded anyways.
And yet, many people today still live with the limiting belief that they need to have their college degree, their certificates and badges, and all of the external credentials to point to in order to establish themselves with everyone else as an authority in their fields.
And only then can they dare to attempt being successful. It’s a mentality that says, “I’ll only be successful when….”
It seems that we are taugh this growing up. We learn that we need to go to school, get a good education, get a good job – and all the while we are having to constantly prove ourselves along the way. We are graded on every task, asked to demonstrate our capacity, and finally rewarded with the “permission” to go out and make something of ourselves.
Now, hear me. Education is NOT at all a bad thing. And of course there are fields which require certain levels of validated proficiency in order to be licensed to practice. Education, schooling, certifications, etc can only be good.
But are they always necessary to succeed? Absolutely not.
How many times have you heard of “unlikely success” stories? Of peopple who barely had any “proper” schooling, yet they achieved great things? Honestly, they aren’t hard to come by.
For example:
- Steve Jobs
- Rachael Ray
- John D. Rockefeller
- Mark Twain
- Shakespeare
- Albert Einstein
- Quinten Tarantino
- George Washington
- Markk Zuckerberg
- Charles Dikens
- Peter Jackson
And, conversely, how many highly educated people today are struggling to make ends meet?
Clearly, education does not guarantee success. Nor does it hinder success. In short, education is neutral – it has very little to do with your success.
Yet, we still tend to perpetuate the limiting belief that asks who am I to do this? We become our own worst enemies when we consistently tell ourselves that we are somehow underqualified to succeed.
Instead of pondering all the reasons why we aren’t qualified, we should be asking why not me?
This change in belief was a turning point for Shawna Spader, who I interviewed in my latest podcast. After several years of running a daycare from her home, she shifted gears and opened The Spader Group, which supports businesses with their bookeeping, office administration, and finances.
It’s a very different type of business from daycare! So what was her struggle? Believing she was qualified.
And once she realized she was indeed qualified, her sales tripled. Listen here to hear her inspiring story!
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