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About the Book

School is about more than academics. My hope is that this book can help you find ways to use your school experience to achieve greater personal growth. As a teacher and coach for the past ten years, I’ve realized that even the highest of achievers are often unaware of certain skills, habits, or attitudes they lack—ones that could greatly improve their lives. The Superstar Curriculum explains life’s greatest qualities and habits that you can develop in school but are not explicitly taught in classes. The advice in this book will change your outlook on school and set you up for a lifetime of achievement.

The good news is that you are already on your way to a life of superstardom. Certain chapters will reinforce some of life’s best qualities that you already have, while other chapters will highlight areas for growth. The goal is to get the full package. The Superstar Curriculum is divided into the four stages of superstardom:

Stage 1: Form Your Foundation for Success—You must build your success from the ground up by developing a strong personal character.

Stage 2: Work Your Way to Results You Want—If you want the best results in life, you will need the best work ethic.

Stage 3: Optimize Your Opportunities—Your ability to make the most of your daily opportunities will determine your levels of personal growth.

Stage 4: Become the Leader of Your Life—The greatest people understand that positive change must first come from within.

You will find optional reflection and self-awareness opportunities at the end of each chapter. Reflection is a wonderful way to move forward by looking back. Answering the questions can improve your self-awareness and help you tailor the chapter advice to your life. Reflection prompts your thinking; your thinking ignites action; your actions create habits; and your habits deliver results. Self-awareness is key to this book and vital to your personal growth.

Although certain chapters have continuity, you can read this book any way you want—front to back, back to front, or starting in the middle. All chapters are short; I know how busy teenagers are these days. You could read one chapter per day (roughly ten minutes) and change your life in less than a month. I tried to write the book I wish I’d had growing up. Are you ready? It’s time to transform from student to superstar.

 

Introduction—The Superstar Mind-Set

To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people just exist, that is all.

—Oscar Wilde

True superstars live everywhere. Forget fortune and fame—the world’s most legendary people, no matter their craft and notoriety, share a common attribute that drives achievement.

I call it the Superstar Mind-Set: a relentless desire to develop over time. Whether you speak of Mother Teresa or Michael Jordan, family members or friends, musicians or mechanics, individuals who are dedicated to personal development will achieve results, gain respect, and become sources of inspiration to others. So cool. So admirable. And best of all, so possible. With a superstar mind-set, you can become a superstar at life.

Developing a superstar mind-set requires focus and time, and as a teenager, you have the opportunity to focus much of your time in a place created for development. School offers a multitude of benefits beyond the actual schoolwork that can set you up for monumental success and unlimited personal growth. Just like life, every school is filled with superstar potential, but it isn’t filled with superstars. Too many teenagers view school as an obligation instead of the opportunity that it is. Only those with the greatest mind-sets will rise to the top.

The Superstar Curriculum will help you get more out of school, develop life’s greatest qualities, and create superstar moments in your life. The more of these moments you create, the better your life will become. Come graduation night when you walk across the stage to accept your diploma, people will be thinking, “That person is going to wow people wherever he or she goes in life.” Superstars are in the business of wowing people. And once superstar status is achieved, other windows of opportunity begin flying open. Success takes time, and your time starts now.