Imagine that the passion this athlete had for their work was feigned. Imagine that their body remains weak after all the work they did to strengthen it. Imagine that their blood, sweat, and tears were given simply because they thought, “I had to.” Why would anyone choose to suffer for nothing?
Their work was ultimately done in vain. They reap none of the benefits. It all goes down the drain. Why then do people do exactly this?
Though we are not all athletes running on a treadmill, we can understand this scenario in every day life. Marching to the beat of another’s drum. Being a puppet on a lonely string. And as John Lennon says it, “Watching The Wheels.” People may fall into this flow of doing things for the sake of doing them instead for themselves. We become marionettes of expectation as we run on the treadmill for someone else.
For students this trap is easy to fall into. Between homework, extracurricular activities, and preparing for tests, the student can lose the piece of them that makes them who they are. The student can become a beast of burden, doing as they are told instead of doing it for themselves.
Students are told to go to college, get a job, buy a car, buy a house, work harder, and then buy more stuff. To get on the treadmill, just like everybody else. Yet, what good does any of this do for them if they do not want it for themselves? What quality of life do they have even if they achieve what others tell them?
The only way to achieve the success that all people desire is to find work that the individual loves to do. If the work is done to meet someone else’s expectations, it bares no fruit. If the work is done half-heartedly, it will show. If the work is done because of a cycle of obligation, it serves no one. True success lies in the passion of the individual; no one else is an authority in what another person wants. –The Feather staff
Success is up to the individual to decide. Great men and people of esteem did not rise to the occasion because of obligation or because they felt “I had to.” They rose because they were passionate and believed in what they were called to do. They desired that success for themselves. They felt strongly about their work and were proud of it regardless of how hard it became and what the outcome was.
The only way to achieve the success that all people desire is to find work that the individual loves to do. If the work is done to meet someone else’s expectations, it bares no fruit. If the work is done half-heartedly, it will show. If the work is done because of a cycle of obligation, it serves no one. True success lies in the passion of the individual; no one else is an authority in what another person wants.
As individuals we must accept that we are ultimately the deciders of our lives. We can allow for others to bind us, or we can break free. We either choose to be in a cycle, or choose to diverge from it. But in the end, if you truly desire success for yourself, then you have to make the decision in what you want to do. Finding passion for something is essential to finding contentment in life.
With the school year beginning, realize that passion is the key to success. Without it, all endeavors become mundane and uninteresting. Make the decision in what you are passionate about. If you find that which you love you also find contentment. And is finding contentment not the true measure of success?
For more articles, make sure to read the Aug. 17 piece, FC Convocation kicks off the school year.
