Lessons learned are sweet indeed. Even the painful ones, the wake-up calls.
In 1960, a poll was conducted among high school students, asking them if they thought they were “special.” Twelve-percent said yes. In 1980, over eighty-percent said yes. The United States of America is now home to the most overconfident people in the world.
Child development research indicates that if you praise a child for “being such a hard-worker” when they solve a problem, it promotes an industrious spirit that sees problems as obstacles to be overcome, whereas if you praise a child for “being such a smart kid,” they come to believe success is an inane trait, and they avoid difficult problems out of a fear of being seen as a stupid person. Time and time again, my teachers always told me how smart I was. And this is exactly how I took it – “I’m the chosen one. I will always succeed, because hey, it’s me…”
As school became more difficult, I became more adept at making grades without exertion. In my psyche, success was measured in a perverse, inverted effort/reward ratio. The most successful ratio favored the highest reward divided by the least amount of effort. Geniuses shouldn’t have to try, and if I had to really put my back into it, then what would that say about my intelligence?
Thankfully, college taught me how to work hard. You can’t B.S. your way through a film production. I know because I failed. And yet, when I do succeed, I am still tempted to interpret that success through a fatalistic lens. “Hey, it’s me… it’s what I do.” When I take this entitled attitude, I deceive myself, handicap myself, rob my Lord of his glory, and withdraw from his abiding love.
Here is the wake-up call: I am not special. I am not the chosen one. I am not destined for a greatness that others will not share. Our greatness will be shared, as God’s risen children.
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you aren’t the chosen one?