The desire to be successful must be great enough to overcome the many negative influences which surround us and scream out to us every day of our lives. The “mob mentality” which is so prevalent today, thanks to the interconnectivity of the Internet, works to push down on any desire one might have to rise beyond the average.
I believe a person has to believe in his/her self-worth in order to achieve anything in life. As we have looked at Zig Ziglar’s steps to the top, we have noted self-image is very important. As I have been teaching my students about contributions of African Americans this month, I was reminded of the great achievements of Dr. George Washington Carver. This son of slaves was born at the end of the civil war in Diamond, Missouri. His great accomplishments included finding over three hundred uses for the lowly peanut. These uses included milk, flour, soap, dye, chalk, and paint. He was a man of faith. From an early age, he felt God helping him to fulfill his purpose in life.
In his own words, “…When I read the Scriptures, “In Him we live and move and have our being,” I knew what the writer meant. Never since have I been without this consciousness of the Creator speaking to me…” “Man, who needed a purpose a mission, to keep him alive, had one. He could be…God’s co-worker…My attitude toward life was also my attitude toward science. My purpose alone must be God’s purpose – to increase the welfare and happiness of His people. Nature will not permit a vacuum. It will be filled with something. Human need is really a great spiritual vacuum which God seeks to fill… As I worked on projects which fulfilled a real human need, forces were working through me which amazed me. I would often go to sleep with an apparently insoluble problem. When I woke the answer was there.” “Service is the real measure of success.”
Dr. Carver’s attitude was one filled with desire to be successful in helping humanity. He was the first African American to have a national memorial funded by the government.
While I am quoting Dr. Carver and thinking about his desire to help others, I want to pass along this list he once compiled of eight cardinal virtues for his students to strive toward, which sum up his own approach to life:
· Be clean both inside and out.
· Neither look up to the rich nor down on the poor.
· Lose, if need be, without squealing.
· Win without bragging.
· Always be considerate of women, children, and older people.
· Be too brave to lie.
· Be too generous to cheat.
· Take your share of the world and let others take theirs
-Kay