Before I start this post, I want to take a moment to explain my absence from posting. For the last month, I have been interning with NBC to cover the Olympics. I've been doing everything from cutting highlights to logging tapes to pitching story ideas. It was an incredible experience, and I will be discussing it more in my next post. It should be a longer post, and I will be having someone from NBC look it over before I post, for contract reasons.
So without further ado, tonight's post.
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In this ever-changing world we live in, everybody is looking for ways to be successful. Yet everyone has a different idea of what success actually is. Dictionary.com defines "success" as, "the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors; the accomplishment of one's goals." The Oxford English Dictionary defines "success" as, "the termination (favorable or otherwise) of affairs." I'm not a huge fan of either of these definitions. There are most certainly good parts to both of them. I like that the Dictionary.com definition includes a part about goal-setting. It's hard to get anywhere in life without setting goals for oneself. Additionally, the OED definition acknowledges that while an outcome may not be favorable, success can still occur by completing what you set out to do. In my life, I have chosen to define success as a state of being, rather than a state of accomplishing. It is when I am at peace about where things are at in my life, and feel calm, peaceful, and content. I've developed a bit of a personal "Recipe for Success." In sharing mine with you, I want to make it clear that this is what I've found that works for me. I am NOT trying to force anything onto anyone. On the contrary, I hope this post encourages you to consider finding your own "recipe" for whatever you consider success to be.
STEP ONE: LOVE GOD
The title on this one is a bit misleading. Because of the multitude of different religious affiliations, or lack thereof, it is, in a way, impossible for two people to "love" what they consider to be "God" in the same way. While I have chosen to worship the God of Christianity, I again am not trying to force beliefs onto anyone. When I say "Love God," the point I am trying to make is, be at peace with where you are at spiritually. Regardless of what religious affiliation you profess (or choose not to profess), be at peace with that decision. The periods in my life where I have been at my lowest, I have been neglecting the spiritual aspects of my life. On the contrary, at the points in life where I have felt the most successful, I have been at great peace with spirituality and faith. In summary, whatever religious practices you have decided upon, make sure you are actually practicing them!
STEP TWO: LOVE OTHERS
On a similar track, loving others has a multitude of manifestations. The ancient Greeks used four distinct words which all had "love" in their definition. The first of these, "storge," was rarely used, and was generally used for a "natural affection," such as that between parents and children. The second is "philia;" it roughly translates to "like" in today's society (liking a person as a friend, liking ice cream, etc.). The third, "eros" is more of a physical passion. The fourth, "Agápe," is an unconditional kind of love, especially used in religious texts. And those were just ancient words! Today, we as a society "love" everything! We love our iPhone, our car, our house, and yet we often times fail to love one another. This love of others doesn't mean the "eros" kind of the ancient Greeks. If anything, it more closely resembles agape. When I say "love others" in the context of this recipe, it's a general sense of respect for your fellow man. I don't hate people; I've found that takes far too much energy and effort in a situation that is not worth either. Instead, I've found that respecting everyone, treating them as higher than myself, has made a dramatic shift in my perceptions of others. The Golden Rule of treating others the way you would like to be treated is the Golden Rule for a reason; it works.
STEP THREE: WORK HARD
It's a sad fact that no one wants to admit, but we live in an era of entitlement. Many people expect things to simply be given to them, and many do not want to work for them. As of 2008, 49 of the 50 U.S. states allowed for unemployment compensation for 40 weeks or even longer. In the last two years, unemployment benefits have been extended to over 100 weeks. This quite seriously means that someone could, hypothetically, live off the federal government for 2 years! While I'd like to think of people as better than such behavior, people still do everything they can to avoid work. One of the mantras I've heard since coming to college is "C's get degrees." Think for a minute about if doctors performing surgery accepted C level work. If a "C" falls into the range of being 70-79%, as it is in most cases, this still allows for a 20% margin of error. Would a surgeon who had 1 in every 5 patients fail to survive surgery still be allowed to practice medicine? Not at all!! Surgeons got to the top of their field by working hard, paying attention to the details, and not accepting anything less than their best. My parents have told me throughout my life that they don't expect "perfection" in anything I took on, academically or otherwise. They wanted to make sure that I was enjoying myself and trying my best. Think again about how you felt the last time you accomplished a major task. Maybe it was a big project for school or for work. Maybe it was an award you won, a competition, anything where you felt accomplished. How did you feel afterwards? Was your hard work and sacrifice worth it? Absolutely! The pride in one's accomplishments through hard work is a hard feeling to compare to. Anyone can take a shift off, throw in the towel, or call it quits. The people who get ahead and experience personal success are those who work the hardest to get there.
STEP FOUR: EAT WELL
This may be the favorite of the steps to success. I love to eat! I'm even eating as I write this (who doesn't enjoy Swedish Fish every once in a while??). There are two aspects, however, to eating well. The first is eating foods that are good FOR you; the second is to eat foods that are good TO you. Let me explain. Baked or grilled chicken is a food which is good FOR you by providing strong nutritional value and by reducing fats/oils which aren't as healthy. Fried chicken is good TO you; it tastes great, but isn't nearly as healthy for you as baked or grilled chicken. In eating well, having only foods which are good FOR may keep you away from foods you enjoy. Conversely, eating only foods that are good TO you can, and often does, lead to health consequences, such as heart disease, diabetes, vitamin deficiencies, and many more. Finding the right balance of these two is what I mean when I say "eat well." Eat that which is good for you, while still enjoying what you eat.
Love God. Love Others. Work Hard. Eat Well. That's it. Pretty simple, right? I hope that this gives you not only a better perspective on who I am, but has also challenged you to find what it is that will make you "successful," whatever your definition of "success" is. Is my recipe the greatest thing you've ever heard? Total crap? Mostly good but in some ways inadequate? If you feel so led, I'd like to hear your thoughts, and maybe your recipe too!
