Often when working with clients on developing an attitude of success, I am asked to explain just what success is. That is a question that I cannot answer for you or anyone else because SUCCESS IS PERSONAL.
Every morning each of us gets out of bed and has a choice to make. We can walk to one side of the “isle” and decide that today I am going to be a winner. Or we can walk to the other side of the "isle” and do nothing and in essence decide to be a “wannabe”. Which are you? Everybody wants to win, but not everyone had decided TO win.
If you make the decision that today you are going to be a winner, then you have to decide what winning is. If you decide what winning is and you achieve it, then you have achieved success. To some success might be in their job or career. Others might find it in personal accomplishment while others might find it in relationship. Whatever it is, you have to decide it.
For the past three months, my business partner and I have been traveling doing “success” talks to cosmetology students. The lack of understanding of success at the most basic level that we have found is amazing. I have come to see that we have a success epidemic in America. First of all, most of our young people have no goals, and without goals, there is no way to reach success because success is reaching your goals. We have challenged students for months to write down their goals and often we get blank stares. We urge them to write their goals down in the areas of God, Family, Career and “Stuff” and often what we get is a totally rebellious attitude. You may be feeling some of that rebellion right now as you read this. Well here is a bulletin; you will fail unless you set specific goals! And the worst part is, you won’t even know you are failing.
We interviewed master stylists in the cosmetology industry and they make well over six figures every year. At the same time, we interviewed owners of cosmetology schools and they have little confidence that their students can reach that level of income. What a shame! We have called back schools only a couple weeks after we left them pumped up and ready to be successful only to have the owners decline to offer the students a chance at success. The program we teach has a proven systematic way of relating to clients. It works every time. However, a stylist needs to know it and use it. The instructors are telling us that they don’t believe that their students are capable of learning and employing the system. So, they don’t want to incorporate it into their curriculum. What an indictment on our educational system. Now, here is the absolutely worst part of this story. Most of these students are receiving grants from the federal government. So, we the taxpayers are paying for students to attend classes in a field of work that can and should be very profitably but the teachers are discouraging that level of success. In essence we are paying to perpetuate failure. ONLY IN AMERICA!
But there is hope! We have found some reputable schools that not only teach students how to pass the state board exam, but additionally how to succeed. These schools have been eager to have us work with them. This gives me hope. Those in the first group are frauds. Those in the second group are heroes. Let’s support the heroes and let’s expose the frauds. After all, it is our money.
Deacon Jodi Moscona was born in New Orleans and attended Catholic schools. He graduated from St. Rose de Lima Elementary School and Brother Martin High School. He holds a BA degree in Political Science from the University of New Orleans and a Juris Doctorate from Loyola University of the South. He also holds a certificate from the Religious Studies Institute and a Diaconate Certificate from St. Joseph’s Seminary College at St. Benedict, Louisiana. He moved to Baton Rouge nearly 20 years ago where he currently lives with his wife Darlene and their daughter Alicia, a 2006 graduate of LSU.
Deacon Jodi and Darlene also have two sons, Brian a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and Matthew a graduate of the Manship School of Mass Communication at Louisiana State University. Brian lives in Atlanta and works at Holy Spirit Prep where he teaches and coaches. Matthew is a radio personality in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Deacon Jodi is assigned as Deacon Associate at the Christ the King Catholic Church and Student Center on the campus of Louisiana State University. Although a public university, LSU has over 16,000 Catholic Students. In addition to his duties at Christ the King, Deacon Jodi is a retreat master and part of the Manresa Retreat Team. Deacon Jodi has delivered retreats throughout Louisiana. Deacon Jodi has also authored many articles and is currently writing a book focusing on the need to include God in our successes.
Deacon Jodi has taught classes at all levels and brings his expertise as a teacher to his role as catechist. He has taught classes on church history, sacraments and sacramentals, the Creed, marriage and marriage preparation and also heads up the Confirmation Program at Christ the King. In addition to his law practice, he is regularly invited as a guest speaker and lecturer. He can be contacted at jmoscona@ctk-lsu.org