8 Life Hacks as told by Jalen Rose

Last night CMU students had the privilege to hear Jalen Rose, former  U of M Fab Five member, speak about his hardships, success, career, and of course basketball.  I was intrigued to see how this talk would go and what I would get out of it considering I’m not really a sports or basketball fan.  I was pleasantly surprised to witness an incredibly funny and wise man.  What I thought would be a talk just about sports and ESPN, turned into an inspirational experience.  After listening to Jalen Rose for an hour and a half, I realized he was on to something.  Today I present to you 8 College Hacks as told by Jalen Rose.

1.“Congratulations, you guys made it to college.” –In some communities going away to college is the norm and is expected of us.  That’s not necessarily the case for everyone.  We are so lucky to be here; earning an education and experiencing an incredible opportunity most people aren’t fortunate enough to have. Whether you are putting yourself through school or your parents are able to help you out, WE ARE HERE and it is an accomplishment to be proud of, don’t take it for granted.

2.“You need to have multiple efforts in your life.”– There’s doing the bare minimum and there’s exceeding beyond expectation. Sure ‘C’s get degrees’ but we are all so much more than that. We need to give our all in every aspect of our lives. Cutting corners and sliding by is not how dreams are accomplished, work hard and make every effort count.

3.“No one owes you anything.”– Our generation tends to have the mindset that we are owed respect, status, praise, attention and appreciation. REALITY CHECK. No one owes us anything we don’t deserve.  The next time you think someone owes you something, ask yourself “What did I do to earn this?”

4.“Success is right in front of you.”- What does success mean to you? Once you know your own personal definition of success, the future becomes clearer. We all have the tools in front of us to make our dreams a reality; it’s just a matter of choosing to use them.

5.“Don’t be the person who’s not paying attention up top.”- USE YOUR BRAIN! Use your intelligence, common sense, and resources. Pay attention and ask questions. There is so much knowledge out there for us to soak in. Read books, research current events and care about what’s going on in the world.  Intelligence is a beautiful thing and it goes way beyond the classroom.

6.“Don’t let anyone out work you.”- It is no secret about how competitive the work force is. We are all about to face a major challenge after graduation when it comes to being in the real world and finding a job. Whether we want to admit it or not, we are always in competition. One way to get an edge over others is to be the hardest worker in whatever you do. People who commit to this kind of work ethic become invaluable to any organization. You won’t find yourself falling behind your competition by staying ahead of the game and making your efforts known.

7.“When you have high self-esteem, you won’t allow people to assassin your character.”-This is something I believe we all have trouble with. People get bullied or made fun of and as a result of this, we question who we are. The second we start questioning who we are, we start to lose our true selves. Confidence in yourself and character directly relates to self-esteem. Having high self-esteem is no easy task but it starts with one simple concept, respect yourself. Once we start to respect and love ourselves, no one can touch our character.

8.“Please and Thank You.”- This might seem like a ‘no brainer’ but it is actually surprising how underutilized these simple words are. We were all brought up to say “the magic words” for a reason; they set the tone for the type of person we are.  Saying these little words completely changes the way people view us. Although we don’t consciously think about it, we tend to turn away or avoid those who don’t use ‘please’ or ‘thank you’. Be polite to others and you will gain so much more in return. 

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