Just as Steve Jobs stated in this quote, “Your time is limited.  Don’t waste it living someone else’s life.”

Growing up in North Canton, Ohio, within minutes of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, I was the youngest of two, with my sister being 3 years and 4 school grades ahead of me.  Naturally, my sister was one of my primary role models behind my parents and Michael Jordan, of course.

Looking for a sense of direction in middle and high school, I looked inside the four walls of my parents’ home for a path forward.  However, it wasn’t that easy, as some of you can imagine.  Many days after school, both my sister and I had a sports practice or game.  On the weekends, it was much of the same responsibilities. 

What I had learned, however, was that my sister was very smart in my eyes, scoring a 4.0 GPA or higher in most of her terms, while I was struggling to make a 3.0 GPA.  During high school, I struggled to find my identity as an individual while my sister entered college, studying Accounting and still achieving that elusive 4.0 GPA. 

Making some wise and some not so wise decisions outside of school, I found myself many times being a follower, instead of a leader.  In other terms, I was trying to live someone else’s life, instead of my own!  This got me in a fair amount of trouble, but hey I was just a kid, right?

Fast forward, to me entering college wondering what my major should be. 

Well, my sister was studying Accounting and Accountants needed to be good with numbers and Math, and if there was one subject I scored well in, it was Math, so my decision was made.  I was going to study accounting too!

You can see that I was still very much a follower and not very good at identifying what I wanted to do and be.

This all came to a halt when I started taking those upper level accounting courses.  What I found on my own for the first time was that although I scored well in Math, I didn’t enjoy applying Math in an accounting way.

It was at this very point I began taking control and not influenced so much by others.  I started looking at Criminal Justice as a Major, but again, I wasn’t all in.  So I ended up taking a Principles of Marketing class and at last, I found the major that I could envision myself in and more importantly, a major that would guide me to a fulfilling career.  It was here that I finally stepped into my shoes and out of my sister’s. 

Be an individual: Do what YOU want to do, not what your friends, significant others, or parents want you to do, unless that matches what you want to do.  Why???  Because after graduation, you will spend more time at your job than with your friends/family or significant others. 

Being an individual is the foundation of “Building Your House.”

Find this and more in The House of You: 5 Workforce Preparation Tips for A Successful Career on Amazon.

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