Poll? Lots to think about with this one
So, I want to know. How do you all feel about corporate America today? Is the only way to make big money through deceit and immoral business practices?
Thinking about "what it takes" to work in high level corporations brings me to thoughts about the various characteristics people display. It seems to me that cunning is the most prevalently emphasized characteristic of successful high-level people. Furthermore, an interesting thought on cunning: Does anyone else feel as though cunning is not a learned trait, but a seemingly inborn personality trait? There is a clear distinction between people that are cunning and those that are not. How does this affect success?
So what does it take to be successful? There are so many facets to that question. What do you mean by success? What aspects of life are your priority? Some people seek a calling of material greed. Some people endeavor to explore the religious and spiritual depths of life. There are those that push the boundaries of consciousness in an attempt to experience new perspectives. Some people devote their lives to raising children. Other people devote their lives to humanitarianism.
It's such a puzzling question, success, because it breeds a sense of competition in you when you think about it. Everyone wants to be successful. What is more prevalent, people modifying their goals to meet the addictive criteria of success, or people battling the rigid outlines of their goals until success is attained? What are the benefits of the former? What are the cons? So many questions I'm asking, but they all seem to be leading up to a bigger question, one in which I should ask myself over and over.
What do I want out of this life? I only have one go at it, and lots of people have a rainbow of different dreams and goals. What are mine? What am I doing to get there?
To be honest with myself here, I feel as though I've been in a stage of disillusionment with my life. I haven't been pushing myself, I haven't been goal-oriented, and I haven't been driven. Instead, I've spent a lot of energy exploring the leisures of life. This doesn't mean I still don't have goals, but they keep getting pushed back for the immediate release. I'm starting to sense that this is an ongoing weakness I've been waging war with for my whole existence. Laziness. It sucks to be hard on yourself, but when you see the same problem, the same... defect.. or deficiency resurface in your life over and over again.. it makes you wonder. Will this plague me for the rest of my life? I'm starting to feel as though it will, and no matter how much I learn or grow, it will always be a constant struggle.
Now, I'm fortunate to have been given many blessings, one of which has not been cunning. I'm smart, I relatively physically healthy (this is grossly dependent on the status of my war on laziness), I'm not allergic to anything, I'm not ugly, I'm good intentioned, and I'm good to people. Should I base my goals around the strengths of my character? Is this another construct of my laziness to achieve success? I don't know, but I do know I have some ingrained beliefs.
I've never had a strong urgency for attaining money. It has never been an essential priority for me. This could be because I've been fortunate enough not to have grown up without all the basic necessities money provides. Or maybe I've always just had a hunch that I should put my energy elsewhere, somewhere more rewarding. What I care for most is people, strangely enough. I say strange because if you know me, you'll know I'm difficult sometimes, stubborn a lot of the times, and not always forthright with my affection or praise. But nothing would make me happier than to surround myself with people that share the idea of goodness towards each other. A woman that I can share life with, someone with a strong family background to help me raise my children the best to our capabilities. A girl with some good child bearin' hips.. hehe (jk I don't want too many kids). On top of all of this, I've always enjoyed learning and exploring philosophy and modes of thought. Am I in the wrong major? Definitely. Do I enjoy my current major? Yes. There are a lot of things I enjoy. But it's too late now, there isn't any more time to waste. Soon college will be over, and I'll be entering another chapter in my life. I don't intend for this entry to be an overview of my college experience, I can do that another day. I just want to explore.
So what it all boils down to. I've got a lot of good long term priorities and goals laid ahead of me. Obviously I haven't given the full account, that'd be impossible anyway. My struggle now is how I'm going to get there and how I'm going to succeed. I have a feeling the battle against laziness will determine a lot of my future. There's a lot more to be said about my future, but I'll leave that for another entry.
Thinking about "what it takes" to work in high level corporations brings me to thoughts about the various characteristics people display. It seems to me that cunning is the most prevalently emphasized characteristic of successful high-level people. Furthermore, an interesting thought on cunning: Does anyone else feel as though cunning is not a learned trait, but a seemingly inborn personality trait? There is a clear distinction between people that are cunning and those that are not. How does this affect success?
So what does it take to be successful? There are so many facets to that question. What do you mean by success? What aspects of life are your priority? Some people seek a calling of material greed. Some people endeavor to explore the religious and spiritual depths of life. There are those that push the boundaries of consciousness in an attempt to experience new perspectives. Some people devote their lives to raising children. Other people devote their lives to humanitarianism.
It's such a puzzling question, success, because it breeds a sense of competition in you when you think about it. Everyone wants to be successful. What is more prevalent, people modifying their goals to meet the addictive criteria of success, or people battling the rigid outlines of their goals until success is attained? What are the benefits of the former? What are the cons? So many questions I'm asking, but they all seem to be leading up to a bigger question, one in which I should ask myself over and over.
What do I want out of this life? I only have one go at it, and lots of people have a rainbow of different dreams and goals. What are mine? What am I doing to get there?
To be honest with myself here, I feel as though I've been in a stage of disillusionment with my life. I haven't been pushing myself, I haven't been goal-oriented, and I haven't been driven. Instead, I've spent a lot of energy exploring the leisures of life. This doesn't mean I still don't have goals, but they keep getting pushed back for the immediate release. I'm starting to sense that this is an ongoing weakness I've been waging war with for my whole existence. Laziness. It sucks to be hard on yourself, but when you see the same problem, the same... defect.. or deficiency resurface in your life over and over again.. it makes you wonder. Will this plague me for the rest of my life? I'm starting to feel as though it will, and no matter how much I learn or grow, it will always be a constant struggle.
Now, I'm fortunate to have been given many blessings, one of which has not been cunning. I'm smart, I relatively physically healthy (this is grossly dependent on the status of my war on laziness), I'm not allergic to anything, I'm not ugly, I'm good intentioned, and I'm good to people. Should I base my goals around the strengths of my character? Is this another construct of my laziness to achieve success? I don't know, but I do know I have some ingrained beliefs.
I've never had a strong urgency for attaining money. It has never been an essential priority for me. This could be because I've been fortunate enough not to have grown up without all the basic necessities money provides. Or maybe I've always just had a hunch that I should put my energy elsewhere, somewhere more rewarding. What I care for most is people, strangely enough. I say strange because if you know me, you'll know I'm difficult sometimes, stubborn a lot of the times, and not always forthright with my affection or praise. But nothing would make me happier than to surround myself with people that share the idea of goodness towards each other. A woman that I can share life with, someone with a strong family background to help me raise my children the best to our capabilities. A girl with some good child bearin' hips.. hehe (jk I don't want too many kids). On top of all of this, I've always enjoyed learning and exploring philosophy and modes of thought. Am I in the wrong major? Definitely. Do I enjoy my current major? Yes. There are a lot of things I enjoy. But it's too late now, there isn't any more time to waste. Soon college will be over, and I'll be entering another chapter in my life. I don't intend for this entry to be an overview of my college experience, I can do that another day. I just want to explore.
So what it all boils down to. I've got a lot of good long term priorities and goals laid ahead of me. Obviously I haven't given the full account, that'd be impossible anyway. My struggle now is how I'm going to get there and how I'm going to succeed. I have a feeling the battle against laziness will determine a lot of my future. There's a lot more to be said about my future, but I'll leave that for another entry.