Motivates People Successful? I 2 Sources... I

¶ … motivates people successful?" I 2 sources... I MLA conventions document formatting it audience peers experts topic.

What motivates people to be successful?

Sometimes, when a very successful individual is interviewed by the media, he or she is asked: what drives you? Now that you have amassed a large fortune and much critical acclaim, why do you continue to strive for the top? Why continue to challenge yourself? Why did the tennis great Martina Navratilova continue to pursue a career in doubles, even after retiring from women's singles, and why is she now competing on Dancing with the Stars? Why did the author John Updike continue to write novel after novel, right up to his death? Why is the great film director Martin Scorsese still making films, even after winning Oscars? Clearly, these individuals are not striving for public acclaim alone or money. They simply love what they are doing. That is the key to success: finding out what you enjoy, what you are good at, and making that your life's work. In the words of Steve Jobs, "The journey is the reward" (Raphael 2003). When the process of practice itself is joyous, the journey to success is enjoyable, and it is much easier to feel motivated to work hard.

Motivation must be at least partially internal for an individual to succeed. Of course, a strong coach can encourage an athlete to strive to meet his or her personal best, or a teacher or an editor might play a vital role in ensuring that someone hones his or her craft to the utmost. But the successful person must be internally motivated and willing to practice. This is true of "the greatest athletes, entrepreneurs, musicians and scientists" who "only emerged after spending at least three hours a day for ten years practicing" ("Practice makes perfect," 2012, The Daily Mail). Some have called this the 10,000-hour rule, or the idea that it takes 10,000 of practice to master anything. Although athletes and musicians and artists may have innate talent, they must also have the strength of will and determination to practice, to be successful.

Not everyone has the willingness to practice this hard. Not everyone gets such sustained joy from a particular task. There are many distractions, such as one's social life, that can cause someone to forget their life's path. Some people have so many passions their attention is scattered, and they spread themselves thin. There are many distractions, such as organizational politics or worries about money that can interfere with the talented person's laser-like focus upon success. A young actress may give up after seeing a less talented performer use her connections to get a role; a young athlete may feel guilty that her siblings do without the small luxuries they desire (and parental attention) so she can be at the ice rink at 4am. If an obsessive level of practice is imposed upon the child or even an adult, it is also very easy for the talented person to burn out, and to find what was once pleasurable a burden.

Of course, success is not a solely individually-driven effort. Not everyone has the necessary emotional support to let their talent flourish. Parents, teachers, and coaches can still play an important role in creating an environment that supports the individual's attempts to practice. Although Venus and Serena Williams were born with great tennis talent and athletic physiques, their father played a critical role in coaching them and ensuring that their environment at home was supportive of their practice schedules. Someone with enough economic support to go to good schools, generate connections in their field, and who receives the right financial support to start a new business may feel more motivated to try hard because of the initial, positive rewards these efforts bring. Although some successful people did struggle initially, few people have literally pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps.