Justin R. Lester talks about owning your ambition as a student. He breaks down time into 15-minute blocks worth $5 each, pushes the idea of choosing your hard, and cites Angela Duckworth on grit and deliberate practice. The core move: 1% improvements compound, like they did for Sam Walton.
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The Made for Mondays. This week we're jumping into what it means to own your ambition as students as we're going through a short series that's just unpacking owning your ambition as you go into the school year. So today we're jumping into all of our students, or scholars if you will. And so let's jump into our time together here on Made for Mondays. Remember, you own your Mondays, Mondays don't own you. Let's jump into our time to make this week our best week, Talking about what it means to own your ambition as a student before we jump into the world of academia. Because I know you're gonna have to do that for the next few months. Let's start with a little bit of a joke. What about this one? Why don't scientists trust atoms? Because they make up everything. Just like these atoms, you, my friends, are able to make up everything in the schedule space. You are in a space of imagination, creativity and reimagining around you. You have a chance to make new worlds, to create new technologies, to create new realms of thinking, to create entire realms of research. Wherever you are, no matter if you're in elementary, middle, high or college continuing ed, you are in the space where you are the rock star that's going on this journey. And so I want to help you today to dive into some strategies on how to own your ambition and rock your academic journey. So check this out. Now I know realize school can sometimes feel like a never ending rollercoaster ride where it seems like one month it's up, other month it's down. Or not even a month. In one day, one class is up, the other class is down. You have this class in the morning, this class in the evening. Gotta work relationships, all of this. But I want to help you conquer those ups and downs. It all starts with you taking ownership of your education. Just like you own that favorite hoodie or that favorite pair of Jordans or that secret stash of snacks or whatever little things that you have that you run to that assist you in finding and grounding yourself. Your learning journey can be as difficult as you make it. One wise person once told me, they said, justin, choose your hard. Life doesn't have to be hard. Choose your hard. You never burn out in the areas where you're passionate. You never burn out in the areas where you're cold. Because now you're no longer working in your own strength. You're working with a strength that you can't even put a name to. So time management becomes the holy grail. Then for you, right? You've all been there trying to balance assignments and extracurriculars in a social life that seems to vanish like a document on a Windows computer that you forgot to save. But here's some strategies to manage your time management and your goals and priorities. Here's some wisdom from Angela Duckworth, mastermind behind the book Grit, and she said this, that it's not just about being smart, it's about sticking to it, even when the going gets tough. Harness your grit. That's where Duckworth begins to talk about deliberate practices. That it's not just taking the deliberate practice of playing a video game for hours, although we've been there. It's about intentional focus on you that pushes you to brand new heights to level up your academic journey. So how do you do this? Well, one, be intentional about your time. I wanted to give it to you like this. I look at every 15 minutes of my life like $5. Is this conversation? Is this moment? Is this game? Is this TV show, Is this working out? Is this research? Is this procrastination, Is this opportunity? Is this laughter? Is this going out worth $5? If this won't return me a cup of coffee, it's not worth my time. Be intentional about your time this year. Number two, be intentional about your dreams. What is it that you're saying? Before the end of this scholastic year, I will become. What dreams will you fulfill? What dreams? None of your mother or your father. What dreams will you fulfill this year? Because if you know what's inside of you, be intentional about your imagination. This is the balancing of your time. If I'm looking at my time and saying, this is what's valuable to me, this is what I'm dreaming about and this is what my imagination is saying. I will imagine, I will engage. I want to ensure that you go beyond. Take the five steps beyond. Sam Walton once told the story of how when he began Walmart, Walmart became so great. Because what they would do is he would send his employees out to different companies around Arkansas and he said, I want you to go there and find their absolute best practice. And so he would send all of his employees out to all these small little businesses in Arkansas and they would see that one company did really good at checking out and one company did really good at food maintenance and food prep. And another company did something really good with customer service. And he brought them all back and he said, great, now let's do it 1% better. I want you to consider in your life, where's the areas that you can do it 1% better. Success is not starting something brand new, doing it 100% better than somebody else. Success is seeing the best and doing it 1% better. Make a decision this year as a student that you're going to do something 1% better. Be intentional about you, be focused on you and push yourself beyond yourself. Because I guarantee you the moment you do that, you'll find and you already had it in you the whole time. Well, let's, let's, let's laugh for a second. Here's another joke. Why don't scientists trust atoms anymore? Because they make up everything. Science humor, right? It's. As you embark on this journey this year, remember Thomas Edison? He said, this genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. So let's perspire together. Go ahead. You got this year. To all my students, I'm praying for you, interceding for you. And I pray that this podcast, whatever we cover this year, becomes a welcome reprieve to start your week off. And I hope that this week, as you journey into whatever school you have, how you balance yourself, how you run into yourself, how you run into your ambition, remember this. If you don't live your life, who will? If you don't run into yourself, who will? So make a decision to run and live your life this year. Let's say our affirmation here, made for Monday. Somebody say, I am me. I can be me, and no one will stop me from being me. You were made for this. Have an amazing Monday. You own your Mondays, Mondays that own you. Now go forth. Have the best year possible. God bless you.
