Although a person’s past achievements can provide a valuable glimpse into their future ability to succeed, the most important indicator of future success is a person’s current motivation and integrity, their current willingness to tackle challenges and to push back their own limits.
While past accomplishment can certainly point to certain character traits that often help lead to success, such as innate talent, it cannot accurately measure their current willingness to work hard, which is the single most important factor in future accomplishment. By focusing primarily on past experience and furthering the aspirations of those who have succeeded in the past over those who have not been so successful, our society deprives itself of future leaders who, although perhaps less accomplished than their competitors with brilliant resumes and top-tier graduate degrees, nevertheless deserve equal opportunities if they are willing to work hard.
A person’s desire to further themselves through hard work can change throughout their life. So, too, should her opportunities, for past accomplishment is not a reliable indicator of current motivation. For example, a person who screws up high school shouldn't be barred from later success. If that person, perhaps in his or her 20s, decides to study hard, go to a community college, transfer to a good university, that person shouldn't be viewed as permanently incapable of valuable work just because his/her early record is less than impressive.
While past accomplishment can certainly point to certain character traits that often help lead to success, such as innate talent, it cannot accurately measure their current willingness to work hard, which is the single most important factor in future accomplishment. By focusing primarily on past experience and furthering the aspirations of those who have succeeded in the past over those who have not been so successful, our society deprives itself of future leaders who, although perhaps less accomplished than their competitors with brilliant resumes and top-tier graduate degrees, nevertheless deserve equal opportunities if they are willing to work hard.
A person’s desire to further themselves through hard work can change throughout their life. So, too, should her opportunities, for past accomplishment is not a reliable indicator of current motivation. For example, a person who screws up high school shouldn't be barred from later success. If that person, perhaps in his or her 20s, decides to study hard, go to a community college, transfer to a good university, that person shouldn't be viewed as permanently incapable of valuable work just because his/her early record is less than impressive.
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