You might be surprised at the title of this article, but honestly, how many times do students actually sit down to think through the ways you could actually kick-ass, and make the most of your potential while still in high school or college? I mean, how many people actually take the time off to go through lists like these? I mean I never did! All I knew was that I was always interested in kicking-ass (figuratively speaking, of course). You laugh, but it’s a given fact that most students go through their lives in school without ever exposing themselves to opportunities that lead one to discover hidden talents, and rediscover dormant ones. *Whew* Long sentence.
Luckily though, since you’re here, I guess you’re part of that very small minority of people who are indeed inclined to find ways of improving. However, I could be wrong, and you could be here just at random, but then again I maintain that the most of the information and tips you’ll find on this site will in fact, still be of use to you and can be applied to your life.
1. Join the Club
It’s one of the most overlooked methods of kicking ass as a student. There’s a whole score of them, with the number of organizations being different from school to school. You have the school newspapers (such as The Guidon, in my university), the debate associations, theater guilds, orchestras, and more. Pick one or two according to your interest, or if you’re unclear about what you like doing, try randomly joining any club that catches your fancy.
In my opinion, it’s a very potent way of honing your skills and talents while being exposed to increasing responsibilities which develop leadership. In addition to these, believe me, you get to meet equally cool people who are into the same things that you are, as well as friends that’ll make your high school/ college experience funner, in a sense.
2. Try Outs
Oftentimes though, most students are caught up in their own shell, plagued so much by the fear of rejection, that they end up never trying out for things that could potentially be fruitful. They miss out on rich opportunities such as landing a role (the leading one would be nice) in your school’s Spring/Summer production, or experiencing what it feels like to be an athlete in the school varsity. Although it’s understandable that people are afraid of the possibility of failure, it is equally important to realize that it is only when you take risks in spite of these, that you prep yourself for success.
Let’s say you get rejected in the first few fields that you try. No biggie. Keep trying out for things and don’t let the sounds of other people’s voices drown out your own inner voice. Remember that quote from the movie Rocky in my previous entry? Check it out if you haven’t. Read it to yourself time and again. Don’t let the experience of one rejection hammer you into your shell. Fight back, and flash the finger at the world.
3. Get Lost!
This has gotta be my most unorthodox advice for anyone ever wanting to kick-ass in school. This comes from the reality that some people go through life never experiencing what is to go out on an adventure, to get lost in some unknown location, even just for one occasion! Some people are just too gloriously uptight. They seldom take risks. Little do they know that getting lost is replete with richness.
I remember this one time I deliberately chose to get lost. I took the 4:30 train to its final destination (somewhere I never in my whole life would dream of going to), and lost myself in the crowd. What did I get? What amazingly kick-ass realization did I get out of it? A LOT, thank you. For one, I realized that in the endless sea of people, walking sordidly along the downtrodden streets, I had a hard time distinguishing one face from another. How many were they? 50? 100 unnamed people?
That fact alone scared me. I don’t wanna grow up to be a mere statistic, a forgotten individual in an evolving society. I’m sure you guys feel the same sentiments too. Thus the question really is, Will you be part of the minority?
Will you stand out?
Will you be the one who deliberately chooses to strike out on your own, and get lost?
4. Kick-assify your old talents
You never know when you’ll need them, or if they’ll lead you to a 180 degree turn in terms of your college course. I know a couple of people, who, upon reigniting their passion for theater and composing chose to go into drama school, and the conservatory, respectively. I mean, they would’ve been killer physicists I tell you. They were just that smart. But somewhere along the line, they came to rediscover something more valuable: their Passion; and that made all the difference.Against all odds and against their parents’ wishes, they took the dive and never really looked back.
So as much as possible, don’t let your talents go to waste. Always try and sharpen the rough edges coz you never know. You guys may be the next Theater Queens and Mozarts, the future Andre Agassis and Michael Jordans.
5. Learn New Talents
The lines that I constantly hear from people are as follows: “Why the hell should I learn something new? I’m already good at stuff.” WRONG. Peace of advice dude, DO NOT be afraid to learn new things. Chances are you’re bound to reap the benefits sooner or later. If not through the talent itself, then by the process. The beauty of humanity is the fact that we constantly evolve to adopt new frames of reference. Ha! Deep shiz. But it’s true! By being aware that we are essentially gifted with the capacity of a sponge (the process), slams the sledgehammer on those stupid self-imposed and/or society-induced limitations.
6. Fall in <3>
Now this is a double edged dagger. It can either help you or slay you. I know many may or may not agree with me when I say this but having someone who loves and cares for you immediately does gives you that added inspiration to kick-ass in everything you do. However, not all relationships are nice and rosy. In as much as you can sour to cloud 9, you are also exposed to the probability of falling face-first into the gutters (in the cases of horrible arguments and fights).
7. As a corollary to#6: DO SOMETHIN ABOUT IT WILL YOU?
[This is directed to the guys] Yeah, yeah, yeah. Some people fall in love and never really do anything about it. “After college,” or “When I’m 18,” or “I’m too damn scared” they say. Hey, I gotta tell ya, the longer you sit on your butts waiting for some cupidic miracle to happen, the less likely you are of getting anything going at all. I mean, how will you ever let the object of your affection discover how amazing a person you are, if you never actually talk to her right?
8. Break out of character before society breaks you
Do something you’d never do on a regular schoolday. Believe me, it is no easy task. For the babbly ones, try goin through one day without ever talking. For those who’ve never tried getting lost, GET LOST (See #3). For the drama queens out there, try poppin some jokes for once! It’s not easy, but it’s an experience worth trying out. You see, most of the time we find ourselves thrown unknowingly into the trappings of labels, fads, lifestyles, what have you, that we lose sight of the very important fact that we can indeed be anything that we wanna be. Constrained not by cliche, nor by social cliques, but by the boundaries of our imagination itself.
Try it out. For one day, try breaking out of character. It’s worth it, I’m telling you.
9. Study Kickassedly
School ain’t a cruise, I’m telling you, but if you really wanna get that grade, that perfect GPA, then you gotta sweat it out man. It is from this realization that I grew one my personal philosophies: Kicking Ass as a student, entails (although not all the time, as I will explain later) studying kickassedly. Indeed there is no free ticket. You have to log in the hours. But most of all, and perhaps the most important aspect of this, is that you have to believe that you can do it, despite everything your ma, pa, stupid schoolteachers, ignorant classmates say. Coz when we get down to the nitty gritty of it all, the ultimate source of superhuman KickAssedry can only come from yourself.
10. Start your own business.
I need not tell you of the stories of Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerburg, Michael Dell, among others, who chose to take a different path way back in college, in the pursuit of their ideas. Instead of being limited by the constraints of school, they took their smarts and everything they learned previously and channeled it into their young businesses, which are currently empires in their own right.
But their being a student did not stop with dropping out. In fact, they not surprisingly became students yet again, of the school that is the Real World. And how did they fair? I think they’d scored quite high on the kick-ass scale, if you’d ask me.
So if you have an idea, and you’re absolutely sure that this idea will shake the foundations of this earth, then by all means go for it. Do everything in your power to capitalize on the idea, and build your empires.
PS. Hey, I’m not advocating that you guys drop out of school like these dudes ok? Just think about their lives, and be inspired. Coz if they did it and landed big, what’s stopping you from conquering the world too right? That’s my take on it. I hope you liked this article. Thank you!
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