the path to success-2

THE PATH TO SUCCESS 1

An Intrinsic Look at the Path to Success

Brandon Fischer

Pennsylvania State University


An Intrinsic Look at the Path to Success

Research suggests that the difference between those who are successful and those who

plateau and never reach their full potential, lies with their level of internal motivation and unwa-

vering dedication to become valuable (Bohannon, 204). What difference, then, is there between

an iconic figure such as Elon Musk and your average white collar worker, and what can we do to

ensure we reach our highest potential? The first step, it seems, lies with how we align our goals

and set our mindset towards the achievement of greatness.

One of the keys to success is realizing that we are directly responsible for where we end

up in life. The internal locus of control refers to the concept that we are wholly responsible for

our future through our hard work and dedication (Fournier, 2016). So if we are in control of

where we end up in life, it would make sense that the practicing of positive and success focused

behaviors has a direct correlation to how closely we achieve our goals. We must envision where

we want to be both personally and professionally, and then we need to have the discipline and

determination to follow through. The unrelenting dedication to success is one of the major differ-

ences between the extremely successful and those who achieve mediocrity.

The establishment of clear and concise goals to guide us down the path is crucial to us ar-

riving at where we want to end up in life. Our goals need to be measurable as well as attainable,

we should hold ourselves accountable with consistent self-assessments. Sharing our goals with

friends and family, however, may be at the detriment of our willingness to see them through. Re-

search shows the social recognition of our goals will actually cause us to feel as though we have

already accomplished them and can reduce our desire to follow them through (Reilly, 2013). I

experienced this first hand when deciding to go back to school. I spent six years procrastinating

the completion of my associate's degree. I would report the fact I was two classes away from fin-


ishing it at career development meetings, and the recognition that I was so close was enough for

me to feel accomplished. It wasn't until I had a value based incentive that I actually finished the

degree, I was up for a promotion board and the degree was a career enhancer that made me more

competitive with my peers.

So if we know that having determination and clear goals is a primary step in our path to

success, would following our passion make it that much easier? To analyze this further we need

to differentiate between the things we enjoy doing and the things we are good at. One point of

view posed by Georgetown University professor Cal Newport that I found quite interesting was

the idea that "passion is a side effect of mastery" (as cited in Zhang, 2014). I find this concept

quite enlightening, we should pursue what we are good at to the point of mastery and at that

point it becomes our passion. This makes sense when you think about how many professionals

who are at the top of their field enjoy their job. I can directly relate to this concept with my role

at my current duty station. Upon my arrival I was immediately overwhelmed with the amount of

information I was required to commit to memory, but after eighteen months of long hours and

hard work I quickly rose to the top of my profession. Once I stopped to look around I realized I

was now the one doing the training and setting the standard which gave me a great sense of pro-

fessional accomplishment.

It appears that success is in each and every one of us just waiting to be cultivated. But

simply because we have the potential is not enough, we need to truly want to be the best versions

of ourselves, and we need to have the self-control to put in the hard work up front because noth-

ing in life comes for free. We need not fear failure as doing so will keep us from taking risks, and

risks are a crucial part of the growth process. We have all fallen at some point, but it is how we


get back up and charge forward that matters. I will close with a quote by Norman Vincent Peale,

“shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars”.


References

Bohannon, J. (2014, July 1). One type of motivation may be key to success. Retrieved January

19, 2017, from http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2014/07/one-type-motivation-may-be-

key-success

Fournier, G. (2016). Locus of control. In Psych Central. Retrieved January 19, 2017, from

http://psychcentral.com/encyclopedia/locus-of-control/

Reilly, K. (2013, April 5). When telling others about your goals compromises them. Retrieved

January 19, 2017, from http://berkeleysciencereview.com/when-telling-others-about-

your-goals-compromises-them/

Zhang, M. (2014, July 17). How to become so good they can't ignore you. Retrieved January 19,

2017, from http://www.businessinsider.com/become-so-good-they-cant-ignore-you-2014-

7Appendix

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