“Averageness, with time and discipline, will give a person influence by age sixty. Straight A’s and brains don’t do it–usually those have to be gotten over.”–John D. Hannah

There are very few instances in which your college GPA will matter–and those usually pertain to the next level of education, for those few who choose to go to graduate school.

Dr. Hannah believes that a person with average intelligence who has learned to put in the time, the hard work, and the steady daily habits will reap influence in the prime of life. Those with above average intelligence and excellent grades will still have to learn these exact same lessons if they are going to have a legacy.

So, if you’re super gifted, but it’s making you lazy; or afraid to try harder things because you don’t have a category for failure or average; or if you’re socially isolated because your grades matter more than your friends, then it’s time to try a different strategy.

By the time you get to middle life, the difference between someone who’s had a growth mindset during their twenties and thirties, and someone who has been primarily entertaining themselves during those decades is becoming more and more apparent. By the time you reach sixty the difference will be greater still. Work now on how you want to be then. If you’re sixty now, what type of eighty-year-old do you want to be? What are the daily habits to get you there? Start today.