When we talk about poor graduation rates or extra years spent in college, many parents will say, “Well he’s not talking about my kid. My kid always gets A’s and B’s. My child is smart, perhaps even gifted.” Students need more. Listen in and discover the traits needed for success in college.

Today, we introduce you to Eric. Despite his brilliance — Eric got a perfect score on the ACT — he has great regrets about his education.

In hindsight, he tells us what happened to him as a truly gifted child. Because so many things came so easily to him, he was passive. He had great capabilities but little drive. In high school, he was distracted by his girlfriend, video games, and reading only what interested him. He resisted the offers of teachers to engage his talents. Looking back, he believes he lost lots of the things that prepare people for success in life:

• knowing about hard work
• the feeling of daily achievement (very different than great test scores)
• the satisfaction that comes from completing challenging tasks
• what it feels like to give something your all

He didn’t take charge. He didn’t have the ambition to create his own path in life. He feels he cut himself off. As he says, he avoided his responsibility to himself. What happened to Eric? He’ll return in a few weeks to tell us the rest of his story. He’s now the father of two.

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