I learned some pretty valuable lessons in kindergarten. I learned that sharing is caring. I learned to be polite. I learned girls don’t like it when I pull their hair. Truly, valuable life lessons.
But I also learned some things that weren’t true. For one, I learned from an art teacher that I wasn’t creative. Later on in life I discovered that was wrong. I am creative.
That revelation set me on a path to discover what other lies I believed as a kid. Here are a few I’ve found.
Practice Makes Perfect
Nothing you ever do will be perfect, because you are imperfect. If you’re waiting to be perfect to try something—to take the risk—you’ll be waiting your whole life.
There’s value in practice. But there’s also value in actually doing something. Don’t wait to be perfect before you try.
Good Behavior Means Being Quiet and Unassuming
Want a gold star on the chart? Don’t stand out. Don’t bend the rules. Don’t disagree.
That works in school, but it doesn’t work in life. The people who make real change in the world rarely blend into the background.
Curiosity Killed the Cat
We teach kids this platitude in an attempt to get them to mind their own business. There’s value there.
But telling a kid not to be curious?! That’s the worst idea in the world. Curiosity is one of our most valuable tools to affect real change in the world. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it’s worth the risk.
Great Minds Think Alike
Great minds don’t think alike. Sheep think alike. If two people agree on everything, one of them is unnecessary.
It’s only in differing perspectives that we get valuable insight into a situation. In fact, we should embrace people who think differently than us. Great minds actually surround themselves with people who think differently.
You Can Be Anything You Want
I love the optimism and hope in this saying. But parents will often tell their children this, then sit them down in front of the TV for 3 hours so they won’t get into trouble.
You can be anything you want, but only if you’re willing to work for it. Only if you’re willing to sacrifice—something few people will ever do in their lives.
If At First You Don’t Succeed, Try Try Again
There’s value in persistence. But sometimes you need to evaluate why you’re doing something before you try it again.
Some things we try shouldn’t be done. And sometimes we need to change our whole approach before we try again. If insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results…maybe we shouldn’t try try again.
There’s No I in Team
It’s not cool to be the jerk on the team who thinks it’s all about him. But tell Michael Jordan when he was on the Bulls that there was no “I” in team. He was most certainly a dominating figure in the team. And they were successful because of it.
In life, if you’re the person who needs to have the ball and score the winning shot, you should get the ball. There’s nothing wrong with that. Just don’t be a jerk about it.
So that’s my list of lies. What would you add? What did you learn in kindergarten that turned out to be a lie later in life? Add a comment.
This is a great post!
Lots of insight.
Keep it up!