Kids Who Struggle In School & Then Become Major Successes As Adults Usually Master 6 Specific Life Skills
Frame Stock Footage | Shutterstock Being a gifted child isn't all it's cracked up to be.
In fact, even the smartest kids can find school challenging. But sometimes, kids who have a hard time in school become successful adults. And it's because they've fully grasped certain life skills that make everyday life easier.
Kids who struggle in school but are successful adults mastered these life skills
1. Embracing failure
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Learning how to fail and get back up again is a good thing. But when kids aren't taught this valuable lesson, even if they're doing well in school, it's setting them up for defeat as adults.
According to Amy Edmondson, a professor of leadership and management at Harvard University, we need to learn how to fail better. "Failing well can be learned. We can replace fear and shame with curiosity and growth... Failing well is about increasing the frequency of intelligent failure where the upside more than compensates for the downside," she said.
2. Networking
It's no secret that who you know in life will get you far. This doesn't just go for celebrities and CEOs of major companies, but happens on a smaller scale, too. For example, if your friend is a waitress at a restaurant and you're looking for work, they can probably refer you. Or, a friend might set you up on a blind date and you might marry that person.
For kids who struggled to get by in school, they learned early on how to talk to people. And they took this life skill with them into adulthood, eventually mastering it.
High school is meant to teach you the curriculum, not how to network. But kids who didn't spend every day studying may have been out with their friends or enjoying the social aspect of school. So, they learned how to socialize and build connections that helped them in the long run.
3. Expressing empathy
Child psychologist Michele Borba explained that empathy is a skill that didn't used to be taught, but is very much important today. Kids who weren't stellar students may have developed empathy early on, and it's helped them earn success as adults.
They learned that not everybody needs to be top of the class to deserve respect. They could put themselves in another person's shoes easily. So, as adults, if they notice somebody struggling at work, they help because they know what it's like.
4. Good time management
Time management is tricky for many people, especially kids who find school difficult. For the children who were never at the top of their class, they may not have been taught these skills growing up.
But because they developed them over time, they're now successful adults. Once they began working, they noticed how important it is to have this skill mastered. In fact, good time management improves focus and lessens anxiety, which are all necessary to success.
5. Perseverance
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"If at first you don't succeed, try again" is a famous quote for a reason. Trying again after you fail is what sets successful people apart from everyone else who gives up easily.
For children who may have struggled in school, they knew what this felt like. They understood early on that even if you fail once, you get back up and try again. It's okay to fail, because the world will keep on turning.
6. Curiosity
As Harvard associate professor Elizabeth Bonawitz explained, curiosity is very important for learning. When children learn early on how essential it is to keep seeking knowledge, they're setting themselves up for success, even if their grades aren't the best.
Children are naturally curious, but as they get older, they tend to become so focused on getting through school. For those who never lost their curiosity and took it into adulthood, their lives turned out much differently.
Sophie Bagheri is a writer with a bachelor's degree in English and theatre who covers lifestyle topics.
