When I was young being considered an outstanding student was not exactly the first one of my priorities.
Coming from Brianza, one of the most entrepreneurial Italian/European region, we were surrounded by examples of very successful entrepreneurs without a degree, not a university degree, an high school one.
Finishing high school was already considered a way to distinguish yourself and university was not seen as a smart way to achieve your dreams.
Most of us were used to say: “Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Renzo Rosso have never gotten a university degree, why should I?”

In my life I had the chance to meet extraordinary people. Politicians, CEOs, football players, entrepreneurs, journalists, employees and Nobel Prize.
There is one thing that great people have in common: they are willing to learn. It does not matter whether they hold an MBA or a primary school degree; they are curious and passionate about life, about people. They are thirsty of knowledge, they are hungry of knowledge, and they are looking for knowledge in every single inch of their life.
And this is the future.
Lifelong learning: keep learning, do not sit on your university degree, do not be satisfied with your MBA at Harvard, do not feel comfortable with your company’s trainings.
Knowledge is power.
It has always been it will always be.
But now there is one difference: Internet.
Every single one of us, at any stage of his life, has access to knowledge.
As I wanted to start from Brianza I taught my mother how to use a computer (an apple of course, it’s much easier) and how to use google and check news online. She is now my first source of information.
Next step? Teaching her about wikipedia!

For the one who are young, get to know the languages of the knowledge you want, English French Arabic Chinese Italian Russian German Portuguese... the more you speak, the more culture you can have access to, the more knowledge you can drink.

Considerate la vostra semenza: fatti non foste a viver come bruti ma per conseguir virtute e canoscenza. (Consider your origin, you were not made to live like brutes, but to pursue virtue and knowledge)