My Granddaddy once told me that the park was a great place to learn. I didn't quite know what he meant by that because up to that point of my life all of my learning had taken place within the four walls of my school's classroom. I really didn't know any other learning outside of the structured environment that planted me squarely in the classroom. In this environment, all of my teachers struggled on a daily basis to keep order, keep the rows of seats and desks somewhat in a straight line, and try keep to and finish the lesson regardless of the various distractions we all had to endure.

As I got older, I realized that those who solely depended just on the school classroom for the education never really did much or accomplished anything significant enough to talk about. Oh, there were plenty of things to talk about on the negative side of this conversation, but we won't go there right now. That's too negative, and we want to avoid the negative and replace it with the positive, whenever possible. Now on to the positive. The kids from my classes that went on to success and positions of leadership all seemed to be self-starters who knew they had to become self-educated beyond their school's classroom.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not knocking our public education system. I have been an inner-city school teacher and coach for over two decades and I am very aware that some of the hardest working and most dedicated people I know are teaching in our public school system and they are doing some pretty amazing things.

What I'm trying to say, though, is that a standard education will only give you (our teens) standard results and a standard life. I think you deserve more than that, don't you? Remember, if you do what everyone else does, then you'll get what everyone else gets. Again, I think you deserve more than that, don't you? Our public school system points you in the right direction, and even helps you get your feet off the ground. But if you're going to be a true leader and be successful in hitting your target, then you're going to have to go above and beyond your standard public education.

Going full circle now, back to my Granddaddy's comment that the park is a great place to learn, I think you can probably better understand now that you have to take your learning and leadership above and beyond the sterile environment of the neat little classroom with all of its little lined up chairs and desks. You'll also have to go above and beyond theory, and books, and pencils and paper, and actually start trying to apply your knowledge and leadership skills in the real world. Volunteering in your community is a great way to start doing this! Getting a job, or if you already have one, then taking on more responsibility is another great way to start. In addition, one could also find someone to mentor. Finally, as the park represents beauty and enjoyment, I also think your path to success should be beautiful and enjoyable!

Now go learn, lead and lay the way to a better world for all us. Thanks in advance for all that you do.

And don't forget to check out my blogs at: www.GranddaddysSecrets.com