Success - part one

By Melinda Tognini

If you were to think of someone you considered successful, who would it be?

Try this activity: read the following descriptions of people and rank them in order from the most successful to the least successful:

• An intelligent young man from a well-off family is educated at the best schools. He goes on to become the prime-minister/president of his country.
• A kindergarten teacher is swept off her feet by a wealthy businessman, and the two live in luxury for the rest of their lives. He has several affairs, and she pretends she doesn’t know about them.
• A young girl wins her fifth gold medal at the Olympics. She is a paraplegic.
• A middle-aged couple with very little money start a soup-kitchen. They rely on donations and sometimes have to dig into their own bank account. One week, they had $14.00 in the bank. They give out between 50 and 100 meals a day.
• A young woman gives up her wealth and spends her life helping people in the slums of India. She dies with very little in terms of material possessions.
• An ordinary kid from Australia becomes a Hollywood movie star.
• A science teacher convinces one of his female students that girls can do science. That girl goes on to devote her life to researching cures for children’s diseases.
• A young girl has a dream to design her own cosmetics. She opens up her own cosmetic company.
• After 12 rejections, a woman finally has her first novel published.
• A young woman trains as a lawyer, works for a couple of years, then stops to bring up a family. She spends her time at home with her children and never returns to law. Her son becomes a mechanic and becomes active in training apprentices. Her daughter becomes a youth worker and spends her time with troubled teens.

Who did you rank most highly in terms of success? What factors did you take into account when determining who was the most successful?

It is interesting to look at what our society thinks success is. Those who are “successful” seem to have the most money, the most possessions, the most fame, the greatest outer beauty. Sometimes it is because of what they have "achieved", especially if that achievement is in the areas of sport, media or business.

In 2003, Australian of the Year was a woman by the name of Dr Fiona Stanley. Many people had never heard of her, but they had heard of tennis player LLeyton Hewitt, who was awarded Junior Australian of the Year. Dr Stanley isn’t someone with the most money, possessions or fame, but how many children and their families have been helped because of Dr Stanley’s dedication?

What about the inspiration a teacher can give a student? My grandfather was the teacher who convinced Dr Stanley back in the 1960s that girls could do science.

Mothers rarely come into our definition of "success" either. Our society tends not to place much importance on the role of mothers who chose to stay at home at the expense of their own career, and potential "success" in career terms. Yet, the time and effort a mother puts into her children can have an enormous impact on their children.

Consider the mechanic who always works to the best of his ability, and is trusted by his clients, who goes out of his way to go beyond the basic level of service. Or the couple who devote their life to feeding the poor, despite having very little themselves. Or the writer, who doesn’t become the next JK Rowling, but, nevertheless, finally has a novel published after 12 rejections. Shouldn’t we congratulate and encourage all of these people? Shouldn’t we see all of them as successful?

The Foo Fighters sing a song called “Hero”, which is all about singer Kurt Cobain. He had it all – fame, fortune, the lifestyle of the rich and famous. He could have whatever he wanted, and yet he saw life as being meaningless and killed himself.

Rather than looking at those who make the pages of the glossy magazines, perhaps we need to look closer to home, at those people who have made an impact on our lives because of their love, self-sacrifice, or perseverance. If we do, then perhaps we will see we can all be successful, no matter what we dream of doing, or where we start in life.

About the Author:

My name is Melinda Tognini and I live in Perth, Western Australia with my husband and three year old son.

I have been writing since I was a small child and am currently the Youth Officer at the Peter Cowan Writers Centre, which thrives in the northern suburbs of Perth. I write mainly for young adults, but have also written short stories, book reviews and travel articles.

I am a trained English teacher, and have just returned to teaching after two years maternity leave. I have more than ten years experience working with young people, and apart from teaching, I have also run youth groups and camps. This has included preparing devotions and talks, and leading discussion groups for teenagers.

Many of my articles were originally written to encourage and inspire teenagers, but my hope is that they will motivate people of all ages.

Article courtesy of www.suite101.com.