Sadly, some people will never make the transition, but for me, reality hit when I committed to start my startup directly out of college. Once you've jumped in with both feet, you learn quite quickly how to be a self-starter. You learn that to get things done, you need to teach yourself the fine art of time management and to keep up with those around you, you need to have an intellectual curiosity which drives you to learn and innovate on a daily basis.
Absolutely. Jumping in (and having no safety net!) really does work. Nothing makes you succeed like necessity, kinda like a survival instinct I suppose. The key is finding the right set of influences that will increase the odds, in his case for his kids, of them taking a real leap.
This is why I like some of the ideas behind John Taylor Gatto's writing, especially about how kids need to have enough freedom and independence to challenge themselves, as opposed to being challenged from an authority. I think that's a crucial step in a kid, whether they realize it or not, jumping into something head first and seeing if they can swim so to speak.
