15 Jul 2022

141

How to Be Successful in Life?

Format: Other

Academic level: High School

Paper type: Essay (Any Type)

Words: 282

Pages: 1

Downloads: 0

Self-evident and obvious claims about success are positive but not necessarily valid or beneficial. Even though there is a general agreement on the basic elements that contribute to success such as self-confidence, determination, persistence, and hard work, it makes it virtually impossible to argue against these assertions. 

“We were born to succeed, not to fail.” This was a quote by Henry David Thoreau, a philosopher, and naturalist of great repute. It is a general remark that has a claim that may be taken as obvious and true by the majority of those who come across it. It leaves little for debate around the issue (D’Agostini, 2019). This is an abstract statement given out as a fact but with few corresponding merits to support it. Consider other maxims such as "A bird in hand is worth two in the Bush" and another one by arguably the most popular British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill that “Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” It is incredibly difficult to challenge these statements. 

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Whilst many people take such statements for granted and assume them to be factual, they can be misleading especially when put in particular contexts. What is taken as conventional wisdom may not be necessarily right or wisdom, however appealing it might be. The bird-in-hand idea has its foundation in playing it safe and maximizing what one already has rather than making a risk for the uncertain (Arreytambe, 2017). If Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg used this belief, they would probably have completed their college education and missed out on starting some of the biggest tech companies of the recent past. 

Conclusion 

Although they should not be ignored or taken for granted, generally accepted statements about success should not be taken on face value. They are matters that can be probed to obtain the most factual conclusion. 

References 

Arreytambe, T. (2017). Six truisms that aren’t true. https://atlascorps.org/six-truisms-arent-true/ 

D’Agostini, F. (2019). Misunderstandings about truth. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/citedby/10.1080/23753234.2019.1667252?scroll=top&needAccess=true 

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StudyBounty. (2023, September 14). How to Be Successful in Life?.
https://studybounty.com/how-to-be-successful-in-life-essay

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