If you want success, it’s simple. Take life lessons from the best --

1. Thomas Edison is a pretty common name, known for his brilliant inventions like the phonograph and light bulb. He strongly believed that:

“The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”

For school, or any task which seems daunting or impossible, it may seem hard to tell yourself this, but it really is necessary to bring out the best in yourself. If there is something you can’t seem to solve or understand, don’t be afraid to try it one more time. Maybe another one more time. Or maybe even one more time with someone else. It might seem hard, but it can never hurt. Try that petition one more time, try out for that team one more time, try emailing that professor one more time, try reaching out to that friend one more time, practice that dance one more time, and even try eating foods you don’t normally like one more time. Science has proven people tend to like foods that they keep trying. Listen to Edison and don’t be afraid to just try it, even if it’s just one more time.

2. C.S. Lewis was a famous British novelist, literary critic, and Christian apologist. Someone responsible for many commons quotes of today. So why not take one for the road?

“There are far better things ahead than we leave behind.”

This can be applied to almost anything. And it is so true. If there are toxic people in your life or friends that aren’t there for you, don’t be afraid to let them go. There is always something new to come, and you never know if it could be the thing you were might have been missing or waiting for, such as a new best friend. You won’t know if there’s a better job or internship opportunity if you don’t let go of the one that you aren’t happy with. Success tends to need a bit of looking ahead to achieve it. Along the way there will be slips and falls- friends fall away, decisions change as you grow, and it's important to know that it's okay to leave things behind. Everything happens for a reason and for every one thing left behind, something better is yet to come if you are true to you. So don’t be afraid to let good times flow and good people come, and free yourself from bad vibes and people who bring you down.

3. Jimi Hendrix is one of the most influential musicians to grace the planet. And this next quote is very characteristic of him:

“I’m the one that’s got to die when its time for me to die, so let me live my life the way I want to.”

He’s nothing but right. You can be suggested many different things, but at a certain point your should know that in the end, it is your life and no one but you is going to live it. So do things that make you happy and do what you do for you. If you aren’t pursuing a major that you like, know that it isn’t a crime to be undecided. It’s good to explore until you find what clicks for you. Don’t let someone else tell you what to do and what not to do because you know yourself the best. If men make you happy, amen. If women make you happy, that’s great. If running makes you happy, make time for that run. If you want to pursue a career in English or in art even though people tell you there aren’t any jobs, then go for it. If you keep trying at something that makes you happy, something good is bound to follow. You can’t live for someone else, as much as in some circumstances you wish you could and it seems easy to settle for less. But you know what you deserve and what you are worth. You can really only live for you, so don’t waste it. Do you and do what it is that you want to do and what makes you happy. That doesn’t make you selfish, it makes you yourself.

4. Confucius is a famous Chinese teacher and philosopher known for his wise words of wisdom. He said that:

“He who says he can, and he who says he can’t, is usually right.”

Believing in yourself is the key to success. If you don’t believe that you can do it, then who will? If you think you can, then you typically will, some way or another.

See? Sometimes older people actually do know what they’re talking about. But in all actuality, the real key is to simply to do as well as you can in whatever makes you happy. Finding what makes you happy can be difficult and will take trial and error, but you won’t know what works for you until you give it a try. Every bit of experience counts, for both your resume and your perception. And sometimes, your ideas might not work out. Sometimes they won’t work out at all. You might not like something you thought you really would or an idea might fail miserably or might get you into trouble. But you never know until you take that jump or give it that test run, even if your parents aren’t fans. Because just giving your idea a go is all that matters. It’s your life, and your clock that’s ticking, so there is no reason to pass up whatever it is that you are curious about -- even if it is as small as an exuberant coffee flavor you’ve never seen before with chocolate drizzle and cherry syrup or a $1 book that you never imagined you would like.