What qualifies as success?
A first rank in class? Gold medal in the Olympics? Winning a match? Living one’s dreams? A well-paying job?
Being a published researcher? Running a unicorn business? Amassing wealth?
It could be any of these, all of these or something totally different. Success does not have one universally accepted definition. For some individuals it would be the accomplishment of their pre-set personal goals or objectives, for some, it would be the ability to meet certain societal/ universal standards and for others it would be the establishment of factual evidence.
Accepting and trying to achieve a single definition of success will narrow one’s vision.
For instance, if we are going to define good marks as a parameter for success for all students and push them to do what it takes to achieve ‘success’ whether rote learning or putting aside their passions, etc., we are simply expecting them to live a life defined and dictated by others, adding on to their stress levels and not exploring their passion or reach their cognitive potential.
Success would definitely be different for each child; for one child it could be participating in science-related activities like exhibitions, Olympiads, etc., while for another child it could be excelling in Maths and so on.
Having discussed what success means, let us move onto what most successful people have in common. Is their level of education, good grades, socio-economic and familial background, destiny, hard work, schooling or something else? We believe it is not any of these and that there are other unique factors.
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A Better Brain
A better brain is not about the size of the brain or some kind of special power, but about how someone uses their brain and unleashes the power of their brain. Most successful people have a better brain. This could be manifested in the form of higher IQ, better decision-making, critical thinking skills, non-academic strengths, higher order skills, better cognitive skills and so on.
Better Learning Skills
Most successful people have better learning skills and they are lifelong learners. Learning is not limited to academics and schooling, it extends to every aspect of our personal and professional lives. It is only through continuous learning that we find ways to evolve and successful people leverage the ability to learn and evolve. They consciously make efforts to try new things since they are not afraid of failure. They learn from their mistakes and failures, and find new and create ways to rectify these mistakes/ failures.
An early beginning
Most successful people have an early beginning in terms of their cognitive development. Research suggests that great minds begin the learning process in the primary stages of cognitive development (ages 4-6) and early beginners begin at least by the secondary stages of cognitive development (ages 7-10). This is one of the main reasons for them having a better brain and unique skill sets. By starting early, they are learning for a much larger time span by leveraging the power of their brain.
Self-awareness
Successful people are self-aware individuals. They have a thorough understanding of their strengths, weakness and skills. They do not see self-awareness as a one-time thing and are continuously analysing themselves and identifying the areas to work upon. Owing to this strong sense of self-awareness, they do not spend time in cultivating skills in areas they know they have little competence or inclination towards. They spend their time honing skills that they have competence in. On the other hand, those without self-awareness end up looking for external stimuli and end up idolizing others. In the event of failure, they will defer responsibility to the idols or people providing external support and stimuli.
Vision and passion
Most successful people are visionaries who set out with big yet achievable goals and strive to accomplish their goals whether it is a businessperson like Steve Jobs or sportspeople like Mary Kom or a scientist like Einstein. They set goals keeping their strengths and weaknesses in mind and have a dynamic roadmap of how they want to reach the set goals. Their passion towards whatever it is they are doing keeps them driven and focussed.
Self-confidence
The level of self-awareness, their vision, and passion induce a sense of self-confidence in successful people. They are confident about their skills, their ability to do things and are self-assured about their place in the world.
Growth mindset
Successful people have a growth mindset. They understand that failure is not a permanent state, so they take risks and test their strongest ideas. They do not fear failure and keep looking to find ways to turn failures into success. They are also not fixated about success or reaching the final goal alone; they enjoy the journey and keep learning throughout.
At CRACS Lab, our years of experience and research has given us hard evidence to strongly believe that giving children an early head start will enable them to unlock their hidden potential and become successful at whatever their passions and strengths are. It is absolutely possible to design a better brain and better learning skills in children.
We provide objective and standardized tests like the cognitive and natural ability assessment that helps in understanding the child’s natural learning styles, natural ability, IQ, focus, learning pace, creativity, decision-making speed, skill sets and efficiency, which cannot be understood through simple academic tests or marks at school.
These assessments help in analyzing and understanding the strengths and natural abilities of the child while also pointing out gaps. Based on this understanding, we offer customized and personalized learning plans for each child to incorporate positive activities, assignments and workouts, and thereby, unleash their potential.
This helps in improving the child’s confidence and enables to take the guesswork out of parenting and teaching. We have seen several children transform to smart learners and superior learners. Through the assessments, we are also providing parents and children with requisite information for making an apt future career choice for the children that is grounded in scientific research and analysis.
Unlock the full potential of your child and initiate their journey to become successful through a better brain, better learning skills, and an early head start.
About The Author:
HK Nanda – Founder Director – CRACS (Centre for Research in Applied Cognitive Sciences)
· Developer of the World’s 1st Customized Education Solution for Children “UNLOCK”
· Developer of the World’s Most Advanced Standardized Cognitive Ability Assessments for Children
· Developer of the World’s 1st Standardized Multiple Skill Development Training Program for Kids “IClass”
· Inventor – Alpha Math for Children