The government forces you to get a formal education during your youth. But just how important is that schooling? Must you absolutely survive that curriculum to achieve success in life?

Like it or not we all go to school for a while. Some learn (and improve themselves) during that time. Some view the education as a time of suffering, and slide through it with as little effort as possible.

But those days we spend in formal education do have purpose.

What do you think the reason for school is? Do you think that you go to school to learn how to live when you become an adult? Or do you think you have to go to school just because someone said you have to? Do you think that what you learn in school is a bunch of junk information that you’ll never use again?

Let me tell you the real reason you go to school:

School is to teach you how to learn.

What do you think about that? Do you believe it?

I didn’t know that fact when I was your age. But over the years I realized that finishing school only gives you the right to start learning how to live a rewarding life.

My first real introduction to that bit of illumination came when I earned my first-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do.

After he presented the belts and certificates to the advancing students the master congratulated us for stepping up to a door to true learning. He stated that the path we just traveled to the black belt level built our foundation. Our progress along that path taught us the basic requirements to enlightenment, and earned us the right to begin our learning experience.

You can’t start putting up the walls to a permanent structure without first pouring a strong foundation.

There is so much to learn about how to live. If you don’t know how to soak it up your brain goes into overload shutdown. When you’re soaking it up, you’re learning.

Spending time in school gives you discipline, and teaches you how to soak it up.

You need that skill to become a success in life. It’s from that basic training that you know where to find all the answers to the questions. And in adult life questions come at you from all sides – sometimes all at once.

If you don’t’ know how to find the answers you accomplish little during your life.

Every obstacle in your road has a remedy. You can find a solution to every problem when you ask the right questions. And know where to look for the answers to those questions.

Don’t disregard that formal school experience as time wasted in your life. Learn how to learn. Learn where to look for the answers.

You’ll be glad you did.

And you’ll be a success in life.