By Emily Foley

How many times have you been asked what you want to do with the rest of your life? How many times just today?

Charting a future that includes a career, owning a home, paying bills and being solely accountable for your own successes (or failures) is challenging.  However, according to author Dr. Mel Levine, the answer to this million-dollar question is right in front of you.

 Levine, the founder of a non-profit institute dedicated to helping families known as All Kinds of Minds, is widely recognized as an expert in what it takes to help young adults become successful. The All Kinds of Minds approach focuses on individuality, not a “one size fits all” philosophy. 

Levine understands that not everyone is programmed to earn high marks in all subjects, but says that’s OK. He encourages students not to get hung up on the details. 

“Everybody has weaknesses and no one should expect a student to be good at everything,” says Levine.  “As adults, we become specialized in what is considered our strength.  Why can’t high school students do the same thing?”

Acknowledging the differences students have in the way they learn is essential to success.  You might not be crazy about math, but the answer to ‘why not?’ cannot be because it isn’t fun, says Levine. 
Instead, you need to examine the basics of your learning abilities.  Maybe you can remember the Pythagorean theorem and other important formulas, but have trouble deciphering word problems.  It could be that your problem isn’t math, but understanding the vocabulary that math requires. Meanwhile, your memory skills could prove useful in computer science.

Determining a goal starts with a little self-exploration and no excuses.  The reality is you are more aware of your strengths and weaknesses than anyone else.  Ask yourself what activities or subjects you continue to revisit.  Have you always been interested in things that move fast?  Or how they move so fast?  A practical application of these curiosities could be mechanical engineering. 

“When I ask a 16 or 17-year-old what they want to do after they graduate, having no idea is not an option,” says Levine.  “Have some idea. I promise, no one is going to hold you to it.”

Being real with yourself is essential to your success.  Levine encourages the parents, teachers and students he works with to look beyond college, and the hype associated with the process of a four-year degree. 

According to his book, Ready or Not, Here Life Comes, parents and educators focus too much on preparing for college, and not preparing for life. 

“Don’t think of college as a destination.  It’s over-rated,” he cautions.  “Too often, college is more of a party than the experience you want to have.”

And, he says, “No matter what, don’t lose your individuality.” After all, your individuality just so happens to be your ticket to success.

More information on how you, your parents and teachers can get involved with All Kinds of Minds and ‘strengthening your strengths,’ is available at  www.allkindsofminds.org.