The Challenge

This blog is named "Challenges Produce Champions." Let me back-up a little bit and tell you how I came up with that title.

Being an instructor in the collision repair industry, I starting to see a trend of less quality students enrolling in collision repair. High schools are requiring more academic credits to graduate. This leave less opportunities for elective programs, resulting in less technical education programs being offered in the secondary level. This leaves less students exposed to programs like collision repair.

At the same time, I was receiving students that did not want to be in the program. I believe technical education should be available for non-college bound students, but I don't think it should be a holding place for the students that the school don't know what to do with. It's definitely a challenge to provide a successful program with a class full of students that don't want to be there.

I then thought of the challenges I faced, which were less student enrollment and less quality students. This is what gave me the "Challenges Produce Champions" mindset. With that said, I wrote a "The Challenge," which was a challenge for the students enrolling in my program. My intentions were to attract more quality students.

This was aimed for students, but everyone can take the challenge daily by applying these ideas to your lives.


The Challenge

The challenge is not to just enroll into one of the exciting automotive or collision repair technology programs, which offer a rewarding, lucrative and challenging career, but to enroll with the intentions of learning and applying what you learn to become a "top performer" in the automotive industry. I read a quote by Laurence J. Peter that makes a lot of sense to me. "Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than going to the garage makes you a car." The same stands true for education. Simply knowing how to do something is useless, if you’re not willing to use what you know to do it. Another example I heard from David Dykes in Texas is like looking at a road map. You can look, read and study a map all day or even all year on how to travel from here to Texas. You may discover all the alternate routes you could travel, but unless you get into your car and drive there, you are still here in Kansas. Just knowing the information will not get you there, just like reading the Atkins Diet book will not make you loose weight. You must apply what you learn to reap the benefits.

The challenge is to enroll in this class, have an interest in automotive or collision repair technology, have good attendance, have a good attitude, be a team player, and be willing to learn and apply what you learn in order to become the champion of your trade. You may be saying "Yea right!" Well, if that’s your attitude that is what will always separate you from the doers, leaders and champions. The world is full of half doers and slackers. When they see a challenge they turn the other way and run. They show up to class just to receive the minimum grade to slide through or go to work just to receive a paycheck. However, "top performers" have a different mindset. They understand all the efforts they apply will reward them for the rest of their life. They are willing to stay focused on a goal until completed. They fight hard for what they believe in, but pick their battles wisely. They see limitations and obstacles as challenges to overcome, not excuses to fail. They get back up when knocked down, instead of claiming it can’t be done. They base their future goals on what can be done, instead of focusing on their past failures. And they’re always willing to help others up instead of laughing at them while they’re down.

These are the individuals that will be at the top of their careers, with the successful jobs, earning a lot of money, and having enough income to do all the things they desire.

According to I-Car the top 10 % of technicians make over $85,000 a year. Many technicians even decide to start and operate their own successful business leaving the earning potential unlimited. Are you going to be one of them or are you someone that will scrape by to make ends meet? The choice is yours. The things and values you consider success are up to you. Your teachers, parents, or friends can’t make these choices for you. It’s all up to you. If you’re a slacker you can change. If you were not an honor student in school, you can improve and still become very successful. If you have limitations you can overcome them. However, no one can help you if you are not willing to let them. If you’re not willing to learn, to work hard, to complete assigned tasks, to help others, be present and on time, or to stay up with the fast paced changes and challenges of technology, than this class is not a good fit for you. This class will be a waste of your time and a waste of our time. You may need to consider another career that does not require the physical application and challenges this industry requires. However, if you are willing to enroll in this class with the mindset of a champion, then we dare you to take the ultimate challenge that Automotive or Collision Repair Technology has to offer you.

~Donnie Smith
"Challenges Produce Champions"

If you're involved in the automotive or collision repair industry and are interested in producing more qualified technicians, I challenge you to join us at www.LearnAutoBody.com and help us produce champions of the collision industry.