Quite a lot (although not all) of valedictorians succeeded because they paid attention to getting good grades, pleasing external authority figures, and fitting into the box. They became very good at simply repeating what authority figures told them to say.

Meanwhile other kids, perhaps even more intelligent than the valedictorians, didn’t bother trying to fit into that box. They focused on the simple joy of learning, even when what they were learning about wasn’t part of the standard curriculum. They focused on growing and exploring, even if that meant bucking the system.

The stuck-in-the-box-follow-the-rules types may make really good middle managers, but you won’t find them inventing anything really new in the marketplace.

It’s the folks who have the courage to buck the system –to look at the big picture and wonder if XYZ might be better off as YZX –those are the folks who write the blogs that are worth reading. Those are the folks who will have something truly new and exciting to say, instead of simply repeating what perceived authority figures have already said.

Now more than ever, creativity really counts in an blogger. Who has the time to read anything else?

The valedictorian… maybe not? cause he’s not in my class.

but I know who got the highest grades in our class.

I also know who the phantom farter is.