print version

The Devils' Advocate

Return to Index of Devil's Advocate Articles

Elements to success

By Lorenzo Recupero: What are the elements to success? A lot of students fall victim to self-destruction - I've seen it happen. Treat these paragraphs as an outline for success. For all students at any stage of high school who feel they have lost their swagger and it's just getting too hard, believe it or not, there are ingredients to success. You can be the most intelligent, most capable student with the most potential, but if you don't apply yourself, then you are walking down a long, dark road wearing a blindfold. This guide goes beyond achieving success in school and can be applied to reaching any goal. This all happens within you.

It all has to start with inspiration, as in stimulation to creativity or a sudden creative idea. Once you are inspired, who you are spills out. It will flow freely, your personality, your true essence. Once this happens it will come naturally to you to want to do more. Through being inspired, you will inevitably encounter the element of intrigue. Something will grab your interest. Through whatever this is, you will figure out what it is you will do with your inspiration and how you will occupy your time.

Motivation comes hand in hand with intrigue. Everyone knows that when you're not interested doing things becomes a lot harder. Your interest will be a propeller and motivate you to keep going. By this point, self-confidence and persistence play the most vital part in holding together what you're striving for. Self-confidence means trusting in yourself and having faith that what you are doing is right for you. Persistence equips you to endure the worst of storms, and the hardest of bumps during your walk along this road of your life on your journey toward success.

Persistence and self-confidence will take you farther because they breed ambition. Nothing or no one can stand in your way when you posses ambition. So, from here you'll be sailing smooth getting through anything and everything because now you have the drive to do it. One thing only can hold you back now; that's the unwillingness to listen. The unwillingness to take something out of everything said and done will defeat the purpose of ever applying yourself to any cause. Through willingness to listen you will attain the power of understanding. With understanding you can never be steered wrong.

Article posted to chs.chelseaschools.com: .

Return to Index of Devil's Advocate Articles

Learned all the SAT words already, you snicker? No problem, overus achieverus.
Random step you can take to help reduce global warming number 44 is...

• Protect and conserve forest worldwide -- Forests play a critial role in global warming: they store carbon. When forests are burned or cut down, their stored carbon is release into the atmosphere - deforestation now accounts for about 20% of carbon dioxide emissions each year. Conservation International has more information on forests and global warming.