The most notable people arrested in this scheme include actresses Felicity Huffman (from Desperate Housewives) and Lori Loughlin (otherwise known as Aunt Becky from Full House), both of whom willingly participated in this scheme, shelling out $15,000 and $500,000 respectively in order to get their kids into the school of their choice.
As a lifelong Full House fan, my immediate reaction was disbelief and denial. Surely there must be SOME kind of mistake. Aunt Becky would never cheat... would she?
But the evidence seems pretty indisputable. What's more, the entitled attitude of her two daughters—both of whom were awarded spots on the USC crew team, even though they don't row—has quickly made them the most hated teens in America. (The fact that the youngest was spending her spring break on a yacht when the scandal broke probably didn't help much either!)
In just days, the backlash has been swift and merciless. Aunt Becky has been booted from the Full House family, as well as fired from Hallmark, where she was one of the network's favorite stars. Her daughter Olivia Jade—a YouTuber with 2 million subscribers—has lost all her partnerships and her makeup line has been pulled from Sephora.
In a matter of hours, their careers were destroyed.
All because they decided to cheat.
And the thing is, it's hard to feel sorry for them. None of this was an accident. They willfully and intentionally shelled out a whole bunch of money to sway the right people in order to get what they wanted. And their decision to cheat, lie, and bribe their way into college meant that there were that many fewer spots for kids who actually deserved to be there.
But if you take a step back, I think there are some pretty big lessons that we can all stand to learn.
Lesson #1: There is nothing uglier than entitlement
And while it is easy to point the finger at a couple of spoiled rich girls, the reality is that entitlement is not always quite so obvious. It happens everywhere, in a million different ways, anytime we think we deserve something we haven't earned.
But as I tell my kids, it's never about how smart you are, or how much money you have, or who your parents are, or even what college you go to. Everything that's worth getting in life is tied to how hard you are willing to work for it.
Lesson #2: Integrity matters
It's the one thing no one can take away from you. And even if the world turns on you, as long as you know that you have conducted yourself with integrity, you'll be able to hold your head high.
And really, when it comes right down to it, integrity is pretty simple: don't lie, cheat or steal. Treat others the way you want to be treated. The end.
Lesson #3: Every mistake is an opportunity to learn
I'll admit—I don't know that this is a lesson that has sunk in just yet. But while right now they probably feel like their life is over, Aunt Becky and her daughters have just been handed a huge growth opportunity. That said, it will be up to them to recognize it, and to act on it.
They'll have to develop enough humility to own their mistakes, but if they can't do that, they might also be able to use this experience as a turning point in their lives, one of those pivotal moments that changes everything.
But it is important to remember that we all have those moments.
Rita Mae Brown once noted that "Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment." Along those same lines, LM Montgomery, in Anne of Avonlea, wrote this: "Well, we all make mistakes, dear, so just put it behind you. We should regret our mistakes and learn from them, but never carry them forward into the future with us."
In other words? Every breakdown leads to a breakthrough, as long as you are willing to learn from it.
We all make mistakes. Sometimes they're big, sometimes they're small. Sometimes they're intentional and malicious; other times they're nothing more than an honest oversight. We hurt people we care about, or we let them down. Sometimes we let ourselves down.
But mistakes and screw-ups are a part of life.
Even so, every mistake we make is an opportunity to learn and grow. Sometimes it will mean having to say sorry. Often it will require some honest self-reflection, or hard-to-hear feedback from others. But it is always a chance to get better.
And so, my challenge for you this week, is to use your mistakes as an opportunity to grow. Whatever you feel like you've messed up in your life, use it as a turning point, the moment where you change direction and create something even better than before.
You might just find it's the best mistake you've ever made.
Live with purpose, friends, and have a wonderful week!
Joao
%%
%xoxo, Ruth
P.S. On a slightly unrelated note, if you are a parent who is trying to get your kids into college someday the old fashioned way (you know, by working hard and getting good grades) OR if you are a parent who has ever struggled to get your kid to do their homework, you NEED to check out my friend Joann's new
Homework 911 course!
Here's the genius of it, it's
a course FOR KIDS that teaches them how to take responsibility for getting their homework done AND make it more fun. I got it for my youngest daughter Annie, who voluntarily watched the entire thing and then proceeded to sit down and do her homework ALL ON HER OWN (which has never happened before!) The videos in the course are short and funny and it only takes a half-hour to do the whole thing. Annie liked it so much that my oldest daughter Maggie wanted to take the course too.
Homework has been such a struggle for us with Annie that I pretty much want to shout about this from the rooftops, so if you are experiencing a similar struggle, it might just be the best $25 you ever spend. Get all the details
HERE.
P.P.S. People have been RAVING about this week's podcast episode with Kat Cole, and for good reason—it's SO GOOD! If you haven't had a chance to listen yet, you can find it on iTunes
HERE or on our website
HERE.
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