Here is a new analogy for you. I believe that living life is a bit like playing a game (or multiple games). First, you need to enjoy it or find a way to enjoy it. Remember though, you must play the appropriate game. If you are artistic, not athletic, then you should not be playing a sports game. Fit is important. Then, you need to learn how to play it well. Know the rules and know the people you are playing with. This is what happy and successful people do. Finally, you must remember that both people and games change. Never stop learning and being aware of yourself and your environment. Remember some of the smart protagonists in the short stories you read this semester. How did they play the game?
One of my favourite quotes about success comes from a poem written over a hundred years ago. It was shared with me by one of my business professors at UBC many years ago.
To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people
and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics
and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
To win the respect of intelligent people
and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics
and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
The poem is often attributed to the American writer and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson, but it was apparently actually written by Bessie Stanley in 1905.
And to end, I will share something I wrote some years ago. I hope that I have already taught you some of these principles throughout the course. Feel free to open your dictionary.
Leslie Barclay's Recipe for Excellence
- Know thyself. (keep a journal?)
- Develop latent talents.
- Establish a fit between who you are and what you do.
- Eschew laziness. (Instead, work smart and hard.)
- Study (& emulate) the lives of excellent individuals.
- Maintain balance. (Be peaceful and don't kill yourself.)
- Build context.
- Have a significant partner/friend/colleague/mentor.
- Teach what you know and have learned.
Good luck. Have a great summer and autumn.
Les.
