Did you know – Right Here, Right Now

There was once a professor who wanted to go down a river. He approached a local boatman who agreed to row him downstream for a $50.

As they made their way down the river, the professor decides to show off his intelligence and high education so he started to test the simple boatman.

Picking up a leaf, the professor arrogantly asks the boatman, “Have you studied Botany?” The boatman looks at him blankly and replies, “No.. I’m just a boatman, Sir. I don’t even understand what the word meant.”

Then I’m afraid 25% of your life is gone!” the professor loftily says. The boatman feels really bad about his ignorance but continues to row on.

As they move further downstream, the river currents begin to get stronger and stronger. The professor picks up a stone dropped on the boat and asks, “Boatman, have you ever studied Geology?” The confused poor boatman again says, “No….”

The professor shakes his head and says, “Then 50% of your life is gone!” He then signals him to carry on rowing. As they move further downstream, the currents get even stronger, the water is moving faster and the boat begins to sway violently.

As the professor was admiring the mountain range, he suddenly points to it and asks, “Do you know anything about Geography?” Feeling very inferior and humiliated, the boatman again says, “No……………..”

The professor says, “I thought so. Then 75% of your life is gone!”

At this point, the river has become a raging torrent. The water is moving so swiftly that the boatman loses control of the small boat. Suddenly, the fragile craft smashes against a huge boulder, springs a leak and begins to sink.

The time the boatman turns to the professor and asks, “Professor! Do you know how to swim?” The professor fearfully replies, “No!!”

“Then, I am afraid 100% of your life is gone!” says the boatman as he leaps off the boat and powers his way to safety on the shore.

Just like the river, we are living in times of rapid and evolutionary changes. Guess what? The river of life is getting faster and more unpredictable!

Check this out!

As you saw in the video, what took decade to change now takes merely months!

1) The top 10 in-demand jobs in 2010 did not exist in 2004
2) The US Department of Labor estimates that today’s learner will have 10-14 jobs by the age of 38
3) 1 out of couples married in the US last year met online
4) If MySpace were a country, it would be the 5th largest in the world
5) Years it took to reach a market audience of 50 million
- Radio = 38 years
- TV = 13 years
- Internet = 4 years
- iPod = 3 years
- Facebook = 2 years
6) The amount of new technical information is doubling every 2 years, for a students starting a 4 years technical degree, this means that half of what they learn in their first year of study will be outdated by their third year of study.

Education in Asia is training us to be like the professor who thinks he knows everything but drown in the river of the real world. However, you and I both know that academic success, knowledge and intelligence are no guarantee of success in the new economy.

While education and academic qualifications are important, they are not enough if you want to make it in these exponential times. Those who are the most successful in the new economy are not necessarily the ones with the most letters behind their name but it is those who have the Millionaire Mindset and skills in the area of Leadership, Effective Communication, Financial Intelligence, Business Etiquette, etc.

Those who lack ’swimming’ skills will continue to be controlled by their external environment and be ruled by the fear of change and unpredictability. They will end up frustrated and powerless victims of this massive wave of evolution and globalization while those who can ’swim’ and ride this wave will experience wealth, success and fulfillment beyond their wildest imagination!

The Entrepreneurship and Youth – A Learning Network (EYLN) 2009 is a non-profit project that aims to equip undergraduates on learning experiences with the appropriate practical and theoretical knowledge on business and entrepreneurship.

EYLN 2009 comes in two phases; which phase one includes Entrepreneurship and Youth – A Learning Network (EYLN) Conference and second phase is Entrepreneurship in Youth Competition (EYC). We aim to empower local undergraduates and the local community through this project with entrepreneurial awareness, knowledge and even action.

You can be a part of this life changing experience as well. Signup* now and unleash your potential.