Go to Class the Day Before Thanksgiving

I learned a lot in college. I can’t recall most of the textbook lessons, political science principles or anthropology theories. However, I got some of my first exposure to succeeding as an adult. 

 The initial thing I realized about college was that on the first day of class the professor gives you a syllabus. I remember getting my first syllabus and thinking to myself: “This must be a mistake. Why would the professor tell me that homework is only worth 5% of my grade?”

 It also occurred to me that most of my classmates treated homework really important. I didn’t. 

 When you’re a collegiate athlete there are a few things that take some getting used to. For basketball players (I was one), the fall and winter holidays are brief or non-existent.

This is where I learned an important lesson: no one goes to class the day before Thanksgiving. 

When a class of 40 becomes you and four other can-do-no-wrong classmates (those who wouldn’t dare miss a class, ever) by default you become one of the most engaged and present students in the eyes of your professor. 

So:

 ? Lesson 1: When someone tells you something is important, it is. Conversely, if they are willing to tell you what isn’t important?—?that matters too. 

? Lesson 2: Timing matters. Despite an attendance record that should be a liability, showing up on the days when others don’t show up can more than make up the difference. Many people go through life with the crowd. That means there’s almost always immense value in being one of the few.