Personal Growth Archives - Page 2 of 2

4 Words of Advice for Students Who Want to Succeed in Life

Updated on June 18, 2022 By Daniel Wong 6 Comments

Success.

Everyone wants it. And some who have already achieved it hunger for even more.

But what does success mean? How do you ensure that your success is enduring, not just temporary?

These are hard questions, and I don’t claim to have all the answers.

But since completing my formal education and entering the “real world,” I’ve learned a lot about what it takes to find long-term success.

My mission is to empower students to become both happy and successful. So these are my four words of advice to students who want to succeed in life:

1. Focus on contribution, not achievement.

Society tends to emphasize achievement rather than contribution.

But real success isn’t determined by how much you’ve achieved. It’s determined by how much you’ve contributed.

And the size of your contribution isn’t limited by your job title. As Harry Beckwith once said, “There is no such thing as an ordinary job. There are only people who choose to perform them in ordinary ways.”

Your contributions have less to do with your career, and more to do with how committed you are and how much you care.

If you’re committed to a cause you care about deeply, you’ll go the extra mile to serve others and make a difference. No “unimpressive” job title will be able to stand in your way. [Read more…]

15 Rules for Success in Life (That All Students Should Know)

Updated on October 21, 2023 By Daniel Wong 11 Comments

What are good rules for success in life — the rules that motivated and focused students follow to do well in school and beyond?

Don’t get me wrong. Success isn’t mainly about achievement. It’s about purpose, meaning, and contribution.

Most people think the secret to success lies in setting goals.

At the beginning of every new year, we say we’ll study harder, exercise daily, read more, go to sleep by 9pm…

But then life happens.

School assignments. Chores. Responsibilities. Family commitments. Our well-meaning resolutions slip down our list of priorities until soon, they’ve disappeared.

Sound familiar?

After all, studies show that 80% of people experience this.

Sure, setting the right goals — whether they’re academic goals or other types of goals — is important. But what you really need for a meaningful and purpose-driven life is a list of rules to live by.

Let’s explore why it’s crucial to have fewer goals and more rules. I’ll also share my top 15 tips for success and explain how to create rules that work for you.

FREE QUICK ACTION GUIDE:

12 Guaranteed Ways for Students to Improve Focus & Reduce Procrastination

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12 Guaranteed Ways for Students to Improve Focus and Reduce Procrastination.

The guide has already been downloaded thousands of times, so don't miss out!

[Read more…]

The Simple 3-Letter Word That Successful People Use Every Day

Updated on September 30, 2021 By Daniel Wong

Can the secret to success be summed up in a three-letter word?

Well, mostly.

And the word is… “yet.”

It requires some explanation as to why “yet” is such an important word, so please be patient with me.

Earlier this year, I had the honor of speaking at the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) Conference in Dallas, Texas. I was even more honored because my co-presenter was Dr. Carol Dweck, world-renowned researcher and the Lewis and Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology at Stanford University.

Me and Dr. Carol Dweck

Dr. Dweck’s research has centered around the themes of human motivation and development. She’s come up with a theory of the fixed vs. growth mindset, which has been proven by numerous studies.

Why effort matters more than ability

Essentially, Dr Dweck’s theory predicts who will be successful over the long term and who won’t. I know, that’s a pretty big claim to make, but she has three decades of research to back her up.

Here’s a summary of the theory:

People with a fixed mindset generally believe that their skills and abilities are fixed and won’t improve much, even with practice.
Fixed mindsetters focus on the end result more than the process of development.
Fixed mindsetters often focus on factors that are beyond their control, e.g. bad luck, unfortunate circumstances, unkind bosses, bad parents.
In contrast, growth mindsetters generally believe that no matter what their skill or ability level now, they can improve with effort.
Growth mindsetters focus on the process and the journey, instead of merely being concerned about the outcome.
Growth mindsetters focus on factors that are within their control, e.g. effort, attitude, choices.

[Read more…]

How to Stop Caring About What Other People Think Without Being a Self-Righteous Jerk

Updated on October 6, 2021 By Daniel Wong

I still remember when I received my first “hate” mail.

After I wrote a guest post on how to take charge of your unhealthy eating habits at PickTheBrain, the first comment on the article — by someone called LAR — was very negative (the comment has somehow disappeared though):

“I usually like this website but this article is rubbish. Are you promoting for a weight loss company? Dieting, which, don’t kid yourself, that’s what you’re promoting here, is not in any way helpful to actual health. In fact, studies show the biggest indicator of weight GAIN is a diet within the last six months.

Food is just food. There is no good food or bad food except for what you believe and seriously, tying foods, any sort of foods, as acceptable or unacceptable is unhelpful. Further, suggesting that thinking ‘do you want to lose body fat?’ isn’t helpful. Why don’t you just come straight out and say ‘nothing tastes as good as thin feels.’

It’s insensitive, badly researched rubbish.”

I almost couldn’t believe that I could upset someone so much by writing an article on healthy eating!

At the time, my older brother Jonathan was already an experienced writer. He was used to getting plenty of hateful comments from readers. I half-jokingly said that I now understood how he feels.

His response: “Haha. Man up, Daniel. Deal with it.”

In my family, that’s the unique way we sometimes handle our frustrations and disappointments. No pity, no sympathy, no compassion.

How to not care about what other people think? That’s what this article is about.

FREE QUICK ACTION GUIDE:

Get your FREE copy of

12 Guaranteed Ways for Students to Improve Focus and Reduce Procrastination.

The guide has already been downloaded thousands of times, so don't miss out!

[Read more…]