It's a Golden Ticket

I went solo to the British Museum today, and in and amongst all of the gold trinkets I started fantasizing again. Surprisingly, not about a jewelry wardrobe. Although I could go off on a tangent about the drool I left on the display cases. Nope, my mind took a trip down a yellow brick memory lane. 

I don't know, maybe it's because I'm older than some precious metals, but I've gotten to the point where I use every available opportunity to pat myself on the back. Not as an ego trip but to muster up courage. I figure opportunities are like solar panels and if I can absorb sufficient atta-girls, I will have enough strength to see things through. Anyway, I was thinking about my undergrad days and my position within the educational community. I was very successful with my course of study at the undergrad level. I wasn't the best or the brightest - I was golden. Unique. Special. However, success came at a price. How does a golden child achieve something equally great or greater when moving to the next level? How do you become more golden? Anyone know?