WHAT WOULD YOU TELL TOMORROW'S FUTURE

RECENTLY WAS ASKED BY A STUDENT:

Hello professor,

I do not expect a reply right away, but your assignment got me thinking. What is the fastest way that you would recommend for me to become a construction manager? Or a business owner? Because I feel like the path I'm taking right now is going to take a very long time until I reach that goal. 

Thank you for your time,

Student -

Thank you for being so patient in waiting for this answer.....now I need to make sure that it was worth your wait!!!

The first thing to recognize is that it is okay if it takes time. We cannot know everything overnight and many times it is our personal experiences that contribute to our uniqueness and talent that can be compared to no one else. I am still learning but I feel that the awareness of my strengths and being honest with myself about my weaknesses allows me to more quickly recognize where I need to put my focus. Some of this comes with maturity, some comes from necessity - necessity of needing a job verses wanting a job, needing to be patient instead of wanting to be patient.

It doesn't always make your job easy, but to me, success is not valued on how long it takes you to get there, how much you make or what status it gives you......Be an honest, trustworthy, hardworking person with integrity, document everything with thoroughness and organization, be purposeful with your work and work with intent - Intent to do the very best that you can at the level you are, at that point and time. Always be respectful and always demand respect. Talk clearly, straight forward - do not mince words - and if you can't, then it is better to hold your tongue then to get into a heated argument where you might not be able to control the speed of your thoughts or the sharpness of your words. 

Your life plan is a moving target but if you identify an overall Master Goal/Plan that has high, respectable expectations then your movement may change but it will always be striving upword. Never believe that there is something outside of your reach. There are people less fortunate then us that will achieve greater accomplishments then we may ever but we have a lifetime to try. There are obviously times that you will get down or feel overwhelmed but as long as you know the only option is to press forward ....these times in your life will be short. Really, they are meant to be bumps that prove to us once again that we can overcome, so they are necessary but not permanent.

Once you have built a Master Life Plan then you start implementing steps to break it down into bite size nuggets. Finding a mentor or "life" coach in the same field of interest as your chosen Master Plan (Project/Construction Manager) will then help you accelerate more quickly and streamline your learning curve/life experiences. Instead of having to make the mistakes we all do and then pull yourself back up....you can learn from the mistakes of others and try to straighten your path for a more accelerated pattern.. Now, you will still make mistakes....but they will be different which will allow you to shape your uniqueness.....but you can avoid the common mistakes that cause hick-ups in our forward progression. I don't have a "life coach" per say, but I have a network of professional individuals that I can ask help from whenever I need it......I guess this brings up another very important point - ASK, ASK AND ASK MORE!!! Never feel like your asking to many questions....this is how we put things into what makes sense to each of our own styles of learning.....BUT DO BE AWARE of how your questions may be interpreted by someone else so that you can make it clear to them that you are not being nosy, or investigating them etc....you are wanting to learn from them and you feel they have a valuable interpretation that would benefit your personal growth. 

Lastly, two important points that I live by. NEVER STOP LEARNING. LOVE WHAT YOU DO. I feel that my ability to be diversified in my education allows me the opportunity to meet people that I may not have otherwise had the opportunity to know. We all have valuable experiences that contribute to who we are - whether it was when I was with my dad for weeks on end on a trap line, freezing in the mountains of the Nevada high desert, traveling hours to a State FFA Conference after competing all week at the High School Rodeo State Finals, being my boy's 5th grade basketball coach, speaking at a conference on new construction in school districts, cleaning the wounds on one of my horses, providing social media marketing services from anything from DoTerra oil products to Infant hearing detection systems/products - all life experiences that allow me to communicate with a diversified audience. Formal education from Animal Science Genetic Marketing in Bovine & Equine, to Curriculum Development to Real Estate Mastery/Investing and Building a sound Retirement - has helped me grow in areas outside of my life plan, where, had I stuck to the plan I would have limited myself. Because with you at this age - you may not see what all you are capable of and your Life Plan may be too small. I venture to say - that I see GREAT THINGS for YOU AND YOUR FUTURE. 

"If you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life"....don't know who said it but I live by it. Passion will drive your energy, stamina. Always be thankful and appreciative and don't let nay sayers get you down. Look past them and know that your path is brighter and broader then they could ever possibly know. If you have a "WHY" in your life then you don't have to think about how to build passion. It is a gift from God instilled within you. My love for competition, my horses, my husband and my boys drive me up every morning and keep me focused and working hard at everyday - Whether it is work, or play, passion will be the key to loving what you do!!!

I hope this has helped and that I have hit the points that you were looking for.....I want to set up a winter break internship for you with a Construction Management Firm where you can go and observe.....It is usually not as much fun....it is a little slow for projects during the winter break because there isn't much time to get things done and a lot of people take the time off but I am sure we could find you something if you are available.

Let me know!!!!

I'm really excited for you - you have what it takes......and more!

Cory