Love playing music, or working out? Instead of focussing on general knowledge take a look at the activities you like to do and learn to improve on them.
When you study what you love to do you have a high motivation and you receive a confidence boost. This is also noticable at university. If you compare students you find a lot of differences. There are those who find it difficult to focus on their studies cause they are unsure on their decision. On the other side there are students that are very interested in the subjects and have it much easier to stay motivated.
Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school. – Albert Einstein
Our parents tend to focus on strict school knowledge. They appreciate when we succesfully pass our exams. However the real knowledge is what you remember after your education. The subjects that you are interested in are the ones you will remember.
Let this be a lesson for future teaching. When you teach something don’t focus on spreading the information. Look how you can provoke curiosity into the subject. The effect multiplies immensely when teaching children.