A healthy vision is connected to our perception.  Our outlook refers to how we approach the world through our minds.  Some people tend to be optimistic, a definite asset; others tend to be pessimistic, which can lead to difficulties.  So, let’s study how to learn more positive attitudes toward life and graduate to healthy longevity.

Eugene Lang, a successful self-made millionaire, had graduated from P.S. 121 Elementary School in Harlem and was invited back as the commencement speaker for the 1981 graduating sixth grade class. As he spoke, he looked at the 52 students gathered there and sensed he wasn’t getting his message – the fact that they had a future – through to them.

He laid aside his notes and gave an unplanned talk that changed their lives forever. He reminded them of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. He told them that everyone must have a dream if his or her life is to go anywhere. He emphasized the value of education and of going to college but then realized that most of them couldn’t afford it. “Don’t think for a minute,” he said, “that you can’t go to college, because you can.”  He then promised to pay the college tuition for every student who would go on and graduate  from high school.  For the first time, many of the students sensed hope, and started developing a vision for their life. One student said, “I had something to look forward to, something waiting for me. It was a golden feeling.”   

Although Mr. Lang sat down that day to a cheering audience, he knew that money alone wasn’t the answer. He created a support structure of teachers, parents and community that together worked with the students in order to help them manifest a vision for their lives.  Past history had predicted that of the 52 sixth graders in that class, only 25% would graduate from high school. And of that 25%, almost none would go to college. But, thanks to Mr. Lang and the support of others, 48 of the 52 sixth graders graduated from high school, and 40 attended college.  In The Future Focused Role Image, Benjamin Singer reports that, in his research, IQ and family background were not key indicators of successful students. The characteristics that all successful students shared was a profound and positive vision of their future.