aka… What they don’t Teach You in College

How to Live a Fantastic Lifeaka… What they don’t Teach You in College

presented byMike Hrostoski

Ground Rules

• Be present• Unplug from the world• Take notes on sheet provided• Ask questions any time• Challenge me on anything

A Quick Disclaimer

• I am not a professional public speaker.• I’m not wealthy, famous, or wildly successful.• I don’t have all the answers in life.• I’m a student, just like you.

SituAsian

“Why are you Qualified?”

• Early in life, I got hooked on personal development. “Why not make a better me?”

• Read dozens of books on the subject• Full fellowship, 3.9 GPA, MBA class president, four

case competitions, won $50,000 at Wake Forest, picked to teach BA499.

• I get awesome service everywhere, I always find a parking spot, things always go my way.

• I have a fantastic life. • Because I choose to.

Today’s Topics

• 10 Attitudes for Fantastic Living• How to Get an A in Every Class• 25 Quick Tips for Awesomeness

Everything in life is negotiable

• If you’re not negotiating, you’re leaving money on the table.

• Cable bill, phone bill, insurance, travel, credit card rates, a car, a job offer. Anything really.

• Talk to the decision maker and be creative.• YOUR business is valuable.• Grades are negotiable.• What’s the worst that could happen?

“Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate.” - John F. Kennedy

I ask for what I want

• Most unhappy people today simply do not ask for what they want– Boss, parents, significant other, teammates

• It is up to you and only you to make sure that your needs are taken care of.

• Accept rejection as part of life. Keep moving and keep asking.

• Balance this with a spirit of giving. Or else you’ll just turn into a big jerk.

“What I point out to people is that it's silly to be afraid that you're not going to get what you want if you ask. Because you are already not getting what you want. They always laugh about that because they realize it's so true.” – Marcia Martin

The world is my playground

• Have you ever watched children play?• It’s ok for you too. You create your own reality. – Stop caring what other people think. Have fun!– Do silly stuff just because you feel like it– Don’t take yourself too seriously

life"The greatest fear in the world is the opinions of others. And the moment you are unafraid of the crowd

you are no longer a sheep, you become a lion. A great roar arises in your heart, the roar of freedom."

My integrity is all I have

• As the world gets smaller and more interconnected, the stakes for unethical behavior get higher and higher.

• Whether you’re a “good person” or not, play by the rules.

• Doing bad things may be fun, but it’s stressful.• Doing good things feels good, it raises your self

esteem, and you get great results.

“There is no pillow so soft as a clear conscience.” - French Proverb

Everyone is a human equal

• We all have the same basic needs and desires.• This is what diversity is all about.• Get to know people in all levels of the

organization. Reach out to those in need.

“Everyone is a human equal.” – Larry Inks

I am the luckiest person ever

• Thoughts influence chance• Law of Attraction, “The Secret”• “Ask, believe, receive”• Personal experiences– Winning competitions– Finding rockstar parking spots– Getting picked to do cool stuff– Right place at the right time

“Luck is believing you’re lucky.” – Tennessee Williams

My health is my most valuable asset

• Represent Fame, Fortune, Family, and Friends by the numeral 0. Represent health by the number 1.

• If you have the 1 and put it first, every added 0 will increase your wealth. Without the 1 first, you have nothing!

• Exercise, eat right, get enough sleep, drink lots of water, stay away from junk food (and drunk food).

• Everything else in your life will improve with good physical health.1 0 0 0 0

Today is the most important day of my life

• Don’t dwell on what did or didn’t happen in the past. Let go.

• Don’t think about how great things will be in the future.

• Learn to be in the here and now, and experience life as it’s happening, and appreciate the world for what it is, right now.

• Practice makes perfect with this crucial skill.

“Yesterday is already gone, Tomorrow is not yet here. Today is the only day available to us. Today is the most important day of our lives.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

I have everything I need already

• As a society in whole, we want too much– Too much food, too much money, too much stuff

• Impulse spending destroys thousands of lives– Clothes when you don’t need them– Gadgets just to have them– Ordering stuff online cause it’s easy– Buying that shiny new SUV

• Be especially careful when you graduate!

“In Jeet Kune Do, one does not accumulate but eliminate. It is not daily increase but daily decrease. The height of cultivation always runs to simplicity.” – Bruce Lee

Life is all about relationships

• Relationships are the cornerstone of life.• We can’t go anywhere or do anything that

doesn’t involve other people.• Your ability to succeed primarily depends on your

ability to understand and interact with others.– Go out of your way to make someone smile every day.– Use social networking tools to manage your networks.– Read books on emotional intelligence, love and

relationships, conflict management, social styles, etc…

“Our greatest joy and our greatest pain comes in our relationships with others.” - Stephen R. Covey

10 Attitudes for Fantastic Living

• Everything in life is negotiable• I ask for what I want• The world is my playground• My integrity is all I have• Everyone is a human equal• I am the luckiest person ever• My health is my most valuable asset• Today is the most important day of my life• I have everything I need already• Life is all about relationships

How to Get a A in Every Class

• Show up• Show up on time• Smile, nod, act engaged, speak up in class• Sit in the front couple rows• Make a connection with your instructor early• Get to know who’s smart, then work with them• Do the assigned reading and assignments• Study in groups (but stay on task!)

“Grading is subjective, take advantage of It.”

25 Quick Tips for Awesomeness

• 1. Start and maintain a profile.

• 2. Get a credit card with points/cash back and put everything on it. Pay it off every month.– Get paid to spend money on an interest free loan– Research at www.creditcards.com


• 3. Turn off your television.

• 4. Pull away from the Internet.

When 200 University of Maryland students were asked to give up all media for a full day, after 24 hours many of them exhibited drug-like behavior, cravings, withdrawal, anxietyand an inability to function. Worst was going without texting, email and Facebook.


• 5. Talk to old people.

• 6. Play with children


• 7. Savor food. Don’t just eat it, really enjoy it.

• 8. Clean your room. Declutter your desk/car.

• 9. Apologize to a friend or family member that you wronged a long time ago.


• 10. Take a multivitamin before you go out drinking. When you get home, pound water.

• 11. Invest in a flask.– 5 drinks a night x– 5 dollars a drink x– 4 nights a week x– 4 weeks a month = $400 dollars


• 12. Start a monthly challenge.• 13. Do an audit on your Facebook account.– Privacy settings (only friends)– Inappropriate pictures, groups– Personal information– Album settings


• 14. Give up magazines for books or blogs.

• 15. Throw sick parties.– Build relationships– Refine organization skills

• 16. Break up with someone you don’t like.


• 17. Learn to understand the opposite sex.

• 18. Slow down.

• 19. Get outside more often. Don’t let yourself be shut indoors.


• 20. Get involved in student organizations.– Don’t spread yourself too thin– Reach out for leadership roles

• 21. Do something creative.– Paint, write, dance, act, sing…

• 22. Stop drinking caffeine.


• 23. Start saving for your retirement now.– Max your Roth IRA, 401K = you will be a millionaire– Google “Roth IRA twenties”

• 24. Set and pursue goals.– Monthly or weekly, whatever works for you– Use some sort of template or a journal– For example…

25 Quick Tips for Awesomeness• Health:• Fun: • School: • Work: • Books: • Family: • Leadership: • 5 Action Items for June/July 2009:

– 1. No internet after 10pm– 2. Go to bed by 11pm every night – 3. Meet 50 people at DHL this month– 4. Run at least a mile a day– 5. Read Talent on Demand, Logic of Life and Breakfast of Champions

25 Quick Tips for Awesomeness• 25. Read these ten books (and others like them)

– Think and Grow Rich – Napolean Hill– How to Win Friends and Influence People – Dale Carnegie– The 4-Hour Work Week – Tim Ferriss– The Power of Optimism – Alan Loy McGinnis– The Last Lecture – Randy Pausch– 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen R. Covey– Rich Dad Poor Dad – Robert Kiyosaki– 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership – John Maxwell– The Power of Now – Eckhart Tolle– As a Man Thinketh – James Allen

“You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read.”

25 Quick Tips for Awesomeness• 1. Start a LinkedIn profile.• 2. Get a credit card with points.• 3. Turn off your television.• 4. Pull away from the Internet.• 5. Talk to old people.• 6. Play with children.• 7. Savor food. Really enjoy it.• 8. Clean your room. Declutter.• 9. Apologize to someone you wronged

a long time ago.• 10. Take a multivitamin before you go

out. Drink water after.• 11. Invest in a flask.• 12. Start a monthly challenge.

• 13. Audit your Facebook account.• 14. Give up reading magazines.• 15. Throw sick parties.• 16. Break up with someone.• 17. Understand the opposite sex.• 18. Slow down.• 19. Get outside more often.• 20. Get involved in student

organizations. Leadership roles.• 21. Do something creative.• 22. Stop drinking caffeine.• 23. Save for retirement now.• 24. Set and pursue goals.• 25. Read these ten books.

It’s all over! :(

• Thank you for sharing this time with me.• Feel free to use me as a resource, for whatever.• Stay connected– www.facebook.com/hrostoski– www.linkedin.com/in/hrostoski– www.twitter.com/hrostoski

• Email me if you want a copy of this PowerPoint• Put your notes on your fridge/desk to remind you

that you are now on the road to your fantastic life“There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth;

not going all the way, and not starting.” - Buddha

Go Therefore and Be Fierce!

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aka… What they don’t Teach You in College