Guidelines to Success
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Why Satisfaction Should Stem From Personal Achievement Over Societal Expectations
GUIDELINES TO SUCCESS
Bradley Munday, 23, lives and works in
Washington D.C.. He graduated from Johns Hopkins University located in Baltimore, Maryland with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics and Statistics. His input provides insight into the mind of a Millenial, representing how the rising generation views the concept of success.
Q: How do you personally measure success? “I think success is more than ‘the accomplishment of an aim or purpose.’ There are two main elements to being successful in life: personal satisfaction and leaving a lasting impact on those around you. In order to be successful, you have to have some sort of goals. Whether they be physical and tangible or subconscious goals of things that you know make you happy, goals are important to help you develop either professionally, intellectually, with relationships, or whatever applies. If you can achieve and attain goals while continuing to set higher goals for yourself, that ultimately makes you satisfied personally. Also, if it makes others around you better people and leaves them that way then you are successful.”
Q: Can you recall a time when you felt particularly successful? What contributed to that feeling? “... when I won Conference Offensive Player of the Year. Football has been huge part of my life and I have taken a lot of pride in it due to the preparation on and off the field. Some people who do not play sports might not know that football is a game of preparation and camaraderie; it teaches you how to face every day adversity, grow as a team member and learn how to work with others in a productive manner. This achievement was a pinnacle of everything I had every worked for when it came to football. I think the real pride did not come from on the field accomplishments but everything that happens off the field and that we had a great season and I would not have been receiving that award without the rest of my team.”
Q: Who is one person in your life you view as successful and why? “One person in my life who I view as successful is my head football coach, Jim Margraf, for a number of reasons. When he took over the team, they had only one or two winning seasons. Since then, the team has been centennial champions the last 10 years as well as typically has lots of success in the playoffs. I also admire the reputation he has built for himself and have never met anybody who disrespects him. He holds himself to a very high standard and that rubs off on his players and everybody he knows. He has very strong values that you can see through the way he coaches and lives.”
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GUIDELINES TO SUCCESS
Sports and Success: Why Athletes Comprehend Personal Achievement Today’s society revolves around athletics. Television channels, social media accounts, news channels, and even some school classes dedicate time to analyze a certain sport or athletic activity. Moreover, most childhoods involve sports in some regard. For some, involvement in athletics begins and ends with coed tee ball. Others, however, dedicate themselves to participating in competitive sports for years upon years, often with one goal in mind: playing in a professional league. Although only a select few actually achieve this goal, playing sports teaches participants skills applicable to real life. I participate in two varsity sports: soccer and track and field. Involvement in sports largely contributes to how I define success. For instance, I believe the ability to work well with others serves as one of the most important influencers on success. What better way to learn this skill than by participating in athletics? Team sports, such as soccer, football, basketball, or lacrosse, require communication, chemistry, and cooperation in order for a team to achieve the desired outcome of a game or match. These abilities apply off the field as well, proving ubiquitous when understanding the dynamics of different relationships. In addition, playing sports teaches individuals important lessons about sportsmanship and self discipline, two important aspects of getting along with other individuals. Athletics exposes participants to different types of competition, teaching them how to confront both their competitors as well as figures of authority. Not to mention, participating in sports obligates individuals to stay physically fit, boosting their overall health, which contributes to achieving personal satisfaction. Likewise, Leigh Steinberg writes about how professional athletes acquire all the skills necessary to thrive in a second career. He claims the experience of playing a competitive sport in itself “embodies a skill set applicable to any endeavor” (Steinberg). Additionally, professional athletes manifest self-discipline, or the responsibility to gratify both themselves and the public. The skill set professional athletes develop contribute to achieving success a great deal because of their familiarity with satisfying both their personal and public expectations or goals.
When asked if playing a sport strengthens an individual's’ understanding of success, Division Three collegiate football player Bradley Munday (pictured at left) responded by assuredly saying “10 thousand percent yes.” He then went on to explain the lessons he has learned by participating in sports throughout his childhood and into young adulthood. “Being part of a team teaches you much more than just wins or losses,” he explained. “It teaches you a lot about other people and how to interact with them, which in return teaches you a lot about yourself. Also, playing a sport teaches you what it takes to be successful on a team, and that almost all the time it is impossible to accomplish anything by yourself.” While athletes all define success differently, insight from a college athlete suggests that participating in a sport exposes important life lessons.
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GUIDELINES TO SUCCESS
Watch a Film, Feel Inspired Forrest Gump, 1986 Forrest Gump, a film modeled off the 1986 fictional novel written by Winston Groom, could classify as one of the most iconic movies in American history. In the film, the protagonist Forrest Gump, played by Tom Hanks, models behaviors that indicate mental retardation. As a child, he wore a full body brace in attempt to perfect his posture, and his peers constantly picked on him for it, except for one young girl named Jenny. However, his low IQ and childhood accusations of stupidity do not stop him from emerging himself in the hot political topic at the time: the Vietnam War. Gump enlists in the military and participates in protests against the war, (although he did not completely understand the purpose of the protest) always remaining in contact with his childhood friend Jenny. Despite his mental retardation, Forrest Gump confronts all of what the world throws at him with a positive attitude, and to the surprise of people in his life, possesses impressive capabilities. Gump confronts real life emotional stressors that most people with high IQs struggle to manage. His ability to conquer life’s problems suggest that with determination, any human can achieve success.
Rudy, 1993 Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger dreams of playing football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. However, with a family income that does not surpass menial and an upbringing in a middle-class household, Rudy’s parents and older brothers assure him that his chances of acceptance to a top-notch school like Notre Dame simply do not exist. However, Rudy determines to prove them wrong. He enrolls in schooling at Holy Cross, a university just across the street from Notre Dame. Rudy works diligently at his academics, involves himself with the University of Notre Dame, and shows interest in the football team. In fact, he obtains a job helping the janitor at the football stadium. Rudy, happy to contribute to the university in any way, finally decides to confront the coach about trying out for the team in the fall. At first, coach Ara Parseghian agrees with everybody else, classifying Rudy as crazy. However, with persistence and a lot of patience, Rudy eventually makes the team and earns a spot dressing in a varsity game, where his teammates insists he plays for at least one down. Rudy represents the classic underdog— he proves everybody wrong including his parents, siblings, coaches, neighbors, teammates, and even himself. This message motivates viewers to follow their dreams, and ensures doubtful individuals that with enough hard work, they will achieve their goals and obtain success.
If asked my personal preference between these films, I would choose Rudy because I enjoy films based off true stories. I believe that real life examples inspire others to follow their dreams and ultimately attain success within the capacities of their life and their goals. Rudy’s character and story exemplifies how one can overcome adversity with hard work.
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GUIDELINES TO SUCCESS
How to Manage Outside Pressures Advice From Teen to Teen Teenagers face daily challenges by juggling high school, extracurricular activities, changing friend groups and family dynamics, and the constant pressure to perform at a certain level, despite their inexperience in many circumstances. This advice column addresses the most commonly asked questions by teenagers regarding how they can attain success in the face of outside pressures. Q: How can ensure I will meet my parents’ expectations? A: Remember, success stems from how accomplished an individual feels with themselves, not by how well other’s rate their performance. Indeed, almost all adolescents seek parental approval, but lacking self motivation can also cause conflicting emotions regarding how to define success. In order to fulfill parental predictions, I recommend that teenagers maintain a healthy relationship with their parent that includes ample communication. Many times, teens struggle to realistically meet their parents’ expectations, but never say so, and end up disappointing themselves and their parents even more. Open communication provides for a route of honesty between parent and child, and perhaps could help for teens and their parents to set realistic and attainable standards together. Q: How can I strategize my success within adolescence? A: A common and useful strategy to obtain success requires nothing more than a piece of paper and a pen, a note on your phone, or even a mental message: goal setting. I recommend that teenagers set attainable, yet challenging, goals for themselves, as well as praise themselves upon achievement. Goal setting applies to all aspects of high school, including grades, completion of academic assignments, or getting involved in extracurricular activities. Small scale goals prove important to eventually reaching long term ones. For example, getting an A in a class starts with completing homework assignments for that class every night, and winning a state championship stems from a team of individuals dedicated to working hard at practice each and every day. In addition, rewards for achieving goals makes them so much more worthwhile. I advise that rewards remain consistent with the task: smaller, easily attainable goals should yield smaller rewards, and vice versa. Start small, and then, watch your dreams flourish. Q: What do I do when my peers outperform me? A: Success encompasses personal measurements and goals. Competition can boost performance and serve as a important motivation; however, personal satisfaction should ultimately determine your level of success. If peers or classmates boast about their performances, choose to simply acknowledge their achievement, but continue to evaluate your performance with your own standards. If your teacher returns a test in front of the entire class, or posts results from an activity online, I recommend you do not look at the outcome right away. Instead, find a private space to check the results in order to prevent peer reactions from influencing the way you truly feel about an outcome or result.
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GUIDELINES TO SUCCESS
The Field of Medicine Could Lead to Success In 2011, radiologists and orthopedic surgeons made an average of $315,000, followed by cardiologists at $314,000, plastic and general surgeons between $265-270,000, and psychiatrists and pediatricians between $155-170,000 (Sifferlin). All of these titles commonly identify as doctors. When considering income, medicine generally qualifies as one of the most successful career choices. However, other aspects encompass the value of medicine as an occupation. Doctors gain exposure to experimentation due to the field of medicine constantly adjusting their protocols in order to maximize patients’ health. The mentality of constantly striving to better the quality of human life sets doctors apart from other professions in that every day, doctors commit themselves to accepting partial responsibility for another human’s life. As a result, medical professionalists frequently search for ways to improve medicine, advance technology, and ultimately, to save more lives. Therefore, individuals in the field of medicine are familiar with a feeling of achievement, but even more familiar with the concept of failure. For each newly introduced medicine or surgery that works, twice as many (or more) fail. However, medical professionals all commonly work towards one goal: to keep humans healthy. This collective mindset allows doctors to subconsciously learn from their mistakes, gaining more and more experience every day. This experience builds a favorable path to success for doctors to follow.
Norman Shumway, a notably successful heart transplant pioneer, exemplifies what it means to achieve success within the medical field. Shumway performed the first ever successful heart transplant surgery (Stanford Medicine News). A colleague of Shumway’s at the University of Stanford notes how his persistence set him apart from any other doctor; his determination led him to achieve such a well renowned operation (Stanford Medicine News). Thus, Shumway’s accomplishments capture the true reasons why doctors experience success: the dedication to their field trumps almost everything else, resulting in committed individuals who put their best foot forward, leading them down the road to success. In addition, the conditions under which doctors work actually teaches them similar skill sets as other vocations such as businessman, preparing them for success in multiple aspects of life. For instance, due to the constantly changing field of medicine, doctors know how to “deal with uncertainty” and “make decisions with incomplete information” (Meyers). For this reason, as well as developing patience, cooperation, and intuition, doctors attain vital life skills from their difficult and tedious profession. Likewise, doctors know how to recognize patterns, and they recognize them fast (Meyers). Outside of medical professions, this skill proves valuable when meeting new people, recognizing dangerous situations, and relocating to a new area or location. All in all, doctors understand the steps that lead to success, giving them the knowledge and the skills necessary to achieve it. 5
GUIDELINES TO SUCCESS
About the Author Maggie Munday Margaret Munday, 17, otherwise known as Maggie, attends Chagrin Falls High School. She actively serves as the junior class Vice President, as well as participates in two varsity sports: soccer and track and field. More recently, Munday chose to partake in school clubs including Link Crew, Tiger Society, FCA, and Interact Club. Munday prioritizes participating in school affiliated organizations because of the personal satisfaction associated with them. Likewise, not only does she enjoy partaking in such activities, but she strives to compete within them. Munday aims to achieve recognition by striving for excellence within everything that she does. To her, success stems from the desire to achieve satisfaction from within. A word from the author: Due to my dedication to many different organizations, I typically measures success as how well I perform within each of my personal commitments. In any activity, club, or organization, figures of authority evaluate individuals’ performances (both intentionally and subconsciously); however, I like to grade myself as well. The level of satisfaction I feel contributes to how successful I deem my accomplishments. Therefore, I believe that goal setting serves as the most important factor for success. I personally set goals for every aspect of my life: deadlines to complete a homework assignment, colleges to get into, standardized test scores, goals to score in a soccer game, etc. These goals may seem insignificant, but they help me to measure success. Upon completion of a goal, I feel satisfied and accomplished, two emotions typically associated with obtaining success. Thus, goal setting contributes significantly to the attainment of my own personal satisfaction, resulting in a feeling of success and accomplishment measured through growth. My motivation to obtain a personal level of success in my everyday life inspired me to write to other young adults about the true meaning of success. By means of a quick google search, the definition of success reads: “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose.” However, I believe the obtainment of success stems from much more. While accomplishing a goal augments the typical meaning of success, personal satisfaction determines how successful one truly feels. Therefore, I encourage my readers to set goals for themselves, both big and small, in order to attain personal satisfaction and ultimately feel successful. Remember, personal standards create a more meaningful sense of accomplishment than unrealistic expectations set by society. In other words, true success only ensues when the person striving for it allows themselves to feel satisfied and accomplished.
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GUIDELINES TO SUCCESS Works Cited “Girls' Soccer Team.” Gould, gouldacademy.org/athletics/fall/girls-soccer/. Meyers, Arlen. “10 Reasons Why Doctors Make Great Entrepreneurs.” The MIT Entrepreneurship Review RSS, 8 Apr. 2013, miter.mit.edu/10-reasons-why-doctors-make-great-entrepreneurs/. Misner, Ivan. “The Real Secret to Success Isn't Really A Secret.” Entrepreneur , 27 July 2015, www.entrepreneur.com/article/248786 “Norman Shumway Surgeon.” In Memory: Remembering the Loved Ones, 3 Oct. 2015, www.inmemoryglobal.com/remembrance/2015/10/norman-shumway-surgeon-1923-2006/. Steinberg, Leigh. “Pro Athletes Have Every Resource For Success in 2nd Career (Multi-Part Series).” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 22 Feb. 2017, www.forbes.com/sites/leighsteinberg/2017/02/22/pro-athletes-have-every-resource-for-success-in-2nd-career-mu lti-part-series/#24a0e08866f3. Stanford Medicine News Center. “Norman Shumway, Heart Transplantation Pioneer, Dies at 83.” News Center, 10 Feb. 2006, med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2006/02/norman-shumway-heart-transplantation-pioneer-dies-at-83.html. Sifferlin, Alexandra. “Surgeon Salary: How Much Doctors Make.” Time, Time, 27 Apr. 2012, time.com/4408807/surgeon-salary-how-much-doctors-make/. “What Is Success?” TED Talks, www.ted.com/playlists/152/what_is_success.
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