After finishing my three years in college I was excited to jump into the real world and conquer it. I never did. I think that I was ill prepared for the world, as school made me believe I had acquired all necessary skills. However, it soon dawned on me that school had not taught me some very important skills, and here are the 10 things I never learned in school:

10 Things Never Learned in School

1. School never taught me how to love

The teachers insisted on the importance of me understanding how to balance equations and prepare gasses in chemistry but they never taught me how to know if I had the right chemistry with someone.

2. How to handle money

Although I was taught math it was predominantly calculus and algebra which I never use. I wish they taught me how to budget my finances instead.

3. Embrace my uniqueness

School never taught me the importance of celebrating my uniqueness. They made me think that it was better to fit in than to stand out. Now it has come to my realization that anyone who conquers the world first breaks out the preset mold.

4. The importance of creating an impact

It was ingrained in me that I should get good grades and a good job thereafter and slowly sail into the sunset. They never taught me that making a worthwhile contribution on this earth that will outlive me is more important than being tied to a monthly salary.

“A lot of people die at 20 and they are buried at 90.”~Robin Sharma

5. Expressing gratitude

While I was taught to say thank you, I was never taught how to be constantly grateful for all the blessings in my life. My good health, my sound mind, my loving family I grew to take to take all this for granted only to realize that they were blessings.

6. Grades can’t measure my potential

School made me sit through exams and fit me to a certain position depending on my performance. They made me believe that those who performed better than me were set out for success throughout their lives. it is not true. If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life thinking it’s stupid-Albert Einstein

7. How to follow my intuition

Following my intuition was never taught in school and I never knew anything about listening to my heart. I was taught to react to situations instead of listening to my heart for guidance which knows right from wrong.

“Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. they somehow know what you truly want to become”~Steve jobs

8. Silencing self-doubt

Lessons were taught inside and outside the classroom and lecture hall. Training my brain was never one of the lessons. I thought negative thoughts were normal and I wish the taught me how to silence them and wire my brain positively.

9. Practicing powerful habits

School never insisted on constantly practicing habits like setting goals, having a vision, meditating, conscious thinking and dealing effectively with people.

10. The importance of happiness

Lastly, I wish school had taught me about the importance of happiness because my brain’s productivity is directly correlated to my level of happiness. And living in a world that is mostly negative school never stressed the importance of choosing to be happy.

by Karani Phaustin

Karani is a freelance writer who began writing in 2008, and his passion turned into a book called “25”. He also has his own personal website karaniph.com where he periodically posts articles, writes poems and short stories.