How dropping out of college made me successful

I am coming from a difficult family background. I’m not particularly talented or beautiful. I have been fending for myself since the age of 17. I dropped out of college more times than I had the nerves to go back.
Still, I live a good life. I have a great job, enough money, a nice place to live, a good car to drive. I have a few close friends (like real friends!), have the perfect partner. I have people relying on me and the best dog even.
How I did it and how you can do it too?
Your circumstances are just circumstances. You can take responsibility!
My dad was an alcoholic, kind of harmless, but still. My step-dad was an alcoholic as well, kind of an idiot. My mom was a laissez-faire type of mom. I had left at 17.
Not wanting to hurt any feelings of my family members I cannot share any more details on this. And not advising to any teen by any means to run away from home. (However, if this is what you have to do to save yourself, do it!)
But I hear too many adult people complaining about their childhood experiences ruining their life and doing nothing about it. You can do about it.
Go to therapy, understand your wounds so that you can heal them or at least live with them.
Don’t let your flaws define you the wrong way. You can turn them around!
I couldn’t bear school so didn’t attend very regularly. Not because I wasn’t smart enough -I think-, but I was quite bad with rules. Not all of them though, as long as I was able to see the point it was Ok. Pointless rules? No thanks. Going to a class, you don’t give a f..k about? Pointless rules.
I loved literature and grammar though. And I am Hungarian, so believe me it wasn’t a piece of cake.
First I thought college would be different, but it wasn’t really. I have been working since my senior year of high school, so going to school was more like a second job, too tiring and full of pointless rules. I dropped out. Then went back. Then dropped out. Then went back again. Then quit. For real.
The thing is, I felt so bad about not being able to force myself to finish college, I started to self-improve like crazy. I had to find a way to feel good about myself despite this shortcoming, and my way of compensation became my competitive edge.
College is not the only way to get smart. You can educate yourself!
I started to read non-fiction books, productivity and tech blogs. Started to listen to podcasts and watch Ted talks featuring smart people. I started to do online courses whenever something particular striked my interest.
The most important thing: Make it a habit! Learn something new every single day.
I’ve been sticking to this habit for almost ten years now (I’m 32), and even if I consider starting over higher education, wouldn’t trade in any of my self-taught knowledge and experience for a degree.
During the years I taught myself self-discipline which I realized is a crucial skill for life, and which unfortunately my parents failed to teach me.
I could go back to college now, because I learned how to push myself even if momentarily don’t feel like it. And however, it would be nice to have a certificate of not being dumb, somehow this flaw became my fuel during the years, so I learned ot embrace it.
I’m good. And you can be too.
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