What International Students Can Learn From Abraham Lincoln?

Abraham Lincoln is one of the most famous personalities all over the world. He was the 16th president of the United States of America. He has a lot of feats attached to his name.

He has led his country at the time of civil war and taken some critical and hard decisions. Before becoming the president of the USA, Abraham Lincoln lived a substantially normal life like most of us. He lost his mother when he was only ten years old.

At the same time, he couldn’t get a lot of support from his father because his father was moved from Kentucky to Indiana. He spent most of his childhood in the woods, living a very poor life.

He managed to read, write and learn most of the things on his own. From his early days itself, he has had a big interest in reading and was a lover of books. Abraham Lincoln also practised law after being admitted by the bar council in 1836. 

Things that a student can learn from Abraham Lincoln:

Be Ready toBe Successful: 

Success is not a one-night thing. It is a continued process. Abraham Lincoln viewed success as a process of hard work, integrity and determination. He said, ‘Give me six hours to cut down a tree, and I will spend the first four hours sharpening the edge of the axe.’ What does this mean?

It means that a person needs to pay a lot of attention to the process and not about the result and prepare accordingly for the task in hand. If a person is not prepared him/herself for getting something done, they won’t be successful in it most of the time. 

Hustle Hard:

One of the things Abraham Lincoln stressed upon was the attitude of the person. If a person is not hustling hard, he/she will be left behind by those who are. Waiting for something to happen can bring something in a person’s life, but the only things that are left by the hustlers.

If a person is not hardworking and persistent towards his/her goals, they will be crushed in the process by those who are. It is okay to relax sometimes and take notice of the world, but it is better to move fast and work hard and get more things done than an average person is doing. 

Greatness is Possible for Anyone:

Lincoln believed that people should not be afraid of things. Being scared of things or success will make them lose their self-esteem, and that is not a good thing.

People should embrace the challenges they are dealt with and take them up with a high and happy spirit. Anyone is capable of achieving and experiencing greatness. All it takes for someone to be great is to believe in themselves. The fact that some other person can achieve it means that you can too. 

Be Optimistic: 

Abraham Lincoln was a firm believer in optimism. Sure bad things may happen from time to time, but it is wrong not to think positive about things. Being optimistic provides people with an edge over pessimistic people.

Lincoln said that life is nothing but making choices. So, either a person’s choice can be positive or negative. Positive choices are always helpful and keep a person in track with their goals in life. But being a pessimistic person does not help anyone. 

Keep Your Enemies Closer:

Lincoln once said, ‘I don’t like that man, I must get to know him better.’ It is a powerful notion. There is a saying that goes like this, ‘keep your friends close, but enemies closer.’

When a person is surrounded by the people they think are not good for them, they can try to understand where they are coming from and also to look over at their plans so that they can never be one step ahead of you. 

There are more things a person can learn from the great Abraham Lincoln, and he is looked upon by many individuals in this world. Most of all, one can learn humility and the art of being grateful towards life by him.

Abraham Lincoln has been one of the most successful people in the world, starting from scratch, and so can anyone if they followed his principles.