The system is designed for you to succeed but is equally satisfied with your abject failure. Failure is not only an option, it is a key to success. It’s how you learn. Ever see a child learning to walk? It’s not an overnight process and, before the baby finds proper balance, there are lots of spills and maybe even some fear of falling. Same with riding a bike.

If you were educated in the public school system, you quickly come to discover how ill-prepared you are for the “real world.” It’s not standard practice to teach worker bees how to start and run a business, how to file their taxes, or even how to balance a checkbook.

Those who learn to read between the lines and see the game for what it is realize three important things:

1. I don’t know everything.

2. If I am humble and observant enough, I can learn much.

3. Everything I need to know to be average can be learned through average channels; likewise, everything I need to learn to be extraordinary can be learned by alternate means.

Kids these days know more about the Atari 2600 game system than they do the Dewey Decimal System. Both seem antiquated but both have relevance in history. I don’t mind playing a video game every now and then but you have to realize something about the constant barrage of home consoles: Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, and all the other contenders for the throne are already making their billions while gamers log in and tune out. Spending time in imaginary worlds is relaxing but can easily lead to more concern about bragging rights based on a high score instead of the building of a legacy.

Back to the Dewey Decimal System, which is the basis of the library. One of my favorite movies is Se7en, in which two detectives are trying to stop a killer who uses the Seven Deadly Sins as a blueprint for his handiwork. The younger cop, Mills (portrayed by Brad Pitt), has a very modern approach to getting information: he uses the abbreviated versions of important texts. Somerset (Morgan Freeman) is the older detective. While seeking specific passages of classic books like Paradise Lost and Canterbury Tales, he goes straight to the source: the library. He goes after hours, when the place is locked down and all the security guards are more concerned with playing card games. To that, he makes a remark about how their time is wasted, surrounded by all those books of wisdom, but being more concerned with games.

Perfect analogy.

See, there is a system in place that can help you get the knowledge you need to accomplish just about anything. Want to learn about investing? Cryptocurrencies? The green economy? Starting a business? Layering side hu$tles? Optimizing your health? Travel to exotic lands? It’s all there for you! However, most folks will miss out because it’s not required reading for a school assignment.

A K-12 education is designed to give you the basic keys to unlock countless numbers of doors. But most folks settle for graduating and eking out an average existence, living paycheck to paycheck, more concerned with the latest dose of reality TV to convince them that even the rich and (in)famous are dysfunctional…

Going back to the aforementioned movie, keep in mind, it was released in 1995, when the Internet was, at best, accessed on dusty desktops and modems doing a series of noises while it accessed a dial-up network. Libraries are still cool and still necessary, in my opinion. However, it is not uncommon to get much of the information, history, and data you need in the comfort of your own home…or from your phone. Again, the system is set up for you to either succeed or relegate yourself to that average existence.

That said, if you are more concerned about how much an athlete makes, the latest memes poking fun at a current scandal, and all the self-generated drama from your social media “friends” than the legacy you’re building, you might just need your ass kicked.

Last points:

1. Realize there is a game being played. It was ongoing when you came to be and will continue long after you leave.

2. Understand the rules before asking to join in. Don’t mindlessly commit yourself to anything without studying it first. There is a cost for entry.

3. Realize there is something at stake. Even if–and especially if–it’s just your time, it is a precious thing that may not be able to be gotten back.

4. Play to win. Establish your strategy and be flexible enough to adjust it as needed to attain victory.