The Three Rules for Success in Life - Research Paper Example

MY THREE RULES My Three Rules for Success in Life My three rules for success in life are based off of Biblical principles. These are ethics that can be used in any situation, including the workplace. These principles are that one be: prompt; polite; and prepared. "In Christian time management literature, leisure is regarded as having its justification in its relationship to work" ("The Fallacy of Time Management," 2010, p. 1). There is a time for work, but there is also a time for play. Promptness is important in almost anything one does. When one goes to a job, one has to be on time. If one is a student, one must not be tardy to class. As it has been said, reputation is made in a day but character lasts a lifetime. If someone is being consistently late, this could hinder his or her chances of being hired somewhere. If someone has a reputation for being consistently late wherever he or she goes, eventually the character of that person will be sullied. Being late is not only rude to others. This also shows a basic lack of self-respect for oneself. Being late is very rude. It disrupts other people in work or school from their assigned activities or assignments. Additionally, lateness signals that there may be other problems in a person's life. Why is continual lateness a problem Sometimes people genuinely have problems of being late to whatever functions they attend. Not only is this disrespectful and rude but it can also be quite unsettling. When other people are counting on you to be there for them, but they cannot count on you because they know you are going to be late, this can be very frustrating. Lateness is a hallmark of laziness. It shows that the individual being late is not taking enough time out in his or her day to plan the day out so that they will budget enough time to do everything that needs to get done. Lateness is also a sign of disorganization. People who have disorganized lives are generally always harried and trying to catch up to where everyone else is in the program. People who are disorganized generally have such difficulty keeping up with all the things going on around them, that they cannot focus on what is happening now. Thus, people who are disorganized are generally (but not always) late. Once people know someone is disorganized so much that they always arrive places late, they usually don't give these people the benefit of the doubt. They probably figure that this person is so discombobulated that they have no clue how to run their own lives, and, it follows that these people are probably not trusted by many people to follow through. Being late is generally a characteristic that should be looked upon with shame. Therefore, if one is always prompt, one can be proud, hold one's head up high, and know that responsibilities were taken seriously enough to have the respect for others to come to work or school on time or early. It is a hallmark of an upstanding individual in the community to always be polite. "Politeness means speaking and acting in a civil way and using good manners" ("Character Attributes," 2010, p. 1). Generally, "[p]oliteness is best expressed as the practical application of good manners" ("Polite," 2010, p. 1). One may ask, "Why be polite" Polite people are more likely to get ahead in life in many ways. People who are polite have doors opened for them, and open doors for other people (literally and figuratively). Generally, people who are mean and rude are not going to get promoted at work. Nor will rude and mean people be given the benefit of the doubt when something goes wrong in their lives. People who are rude and mean are not pleasant to be around. People who are polite are much more pleasant and inviting people, and therefore people don't mind hanging around people who are polite. Politeness will bring a person success in life. No matter who one is, politeness can open doors for people. People who are nice may be more favored to get a raise. Polite people may also be given promotions quicker and may also be allowed to have more upward mobility in a company setting. If one thinks about it, it does not serve someone well to be rude. Even people who are rude to strangers eventually may reap what they sow. If someone sows goodness, they will reap goodness. Many times the phrase "what goes around, comes around" has been stated by countless people. Generally, the universe tends to bring back, by grace of God, good and bad that a person sows into the world. Thus, just as Newton said, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. In other words, what we do matters. If we are kind to others and make sure that we care how we treat other people, this good vibe we give to other people will also come upon our heads in manifold ways which we may not even expect. It pays to be respectful and polite. More people are willing to hire polite people than people who are close-minded and rude, for example. Having a good attitude in general in life can help out a person a lot. Many times it is not necessarily aptitude which counts, but attitude. Take, for example, two men who are working at a waiter job. The one waiter is an illegal immigrant who doesn't speak English. The other waiter is a white man who speaks perfect English. The illegal immigrant is polite and the other waiter is rude. Although the illegal immigrant does not speak English as well as the white man, he may indeed be promoted to the position of waiter's assistant because he has a good attitude. Although the white man's aptitude may be better for English, he is not as polite and therefore not as valuable to the company as the other man. This is just an example, although there are many examples of this in life. Some people may have more intelligence than others, but their ability to communicate well and amicably with other people is severely lacking. Unfortunately, these types of people get promoted too. But hopefully it will be obvious here that politeness definitely counts for more than one may think! "Be prepared" is the motto of the Boy Scouts of America ("Boy Scout Motto," 2007, p. 1). Part of being prepared is being ready to work hard. Being prepared wherever one goes is a principle which is Biblically based in the sense that God does not want people to be idle or waste time. Time is a gift God has given to everyone, and life is a gift to everyone, so people should not waste this beautiful gift of time and the ability to do things. Whether doing things includes working with one's hands, doing paperwork, or other various things, it is our duty as human beings to make sure we are good stewards of our time. Success in life is critical to this. Benjamin Franklin said that time is the stuff of life, therefore do not waste it, to paraphrase. In other words, since time is what our lives are made out of, we should use time wisely. One may have heard of the phrase "Carpe diem," or "Seize the day." It is very easy to let our days pass us by or slip away. However, it is a good idea to plan one's day out so that one is prepared for the days, weeks, months, and years ahead. Obviously, it is probably not logical to map out every second of every day with activities to do, however, one would do well to make sure that one is maximizing one's time by seeing how one spends one's time. Being prepared is one way that a person can get ready to utilize all the time he or she has available to himself or herself. It is a good idea to have in mind the materials one needs to do his or her work ahead of time. In school, students are responsible for getting together all of their materials-pens, pencils, paper, notebooks, folders, rulers, calculators, and such. In the same way, workers should make sure they have everything at their work stations they need to complete their tasks in cubicles at the office, if they have them. For every activity under heaven there is a time and place for it to be accomplished. Being prepared is not only an attribute of a true professional, but it is also an attribute of someone who is a responsible human being. The three attributes of being prompt, polite, and prepared are very important. They teach us the value of time, to be on-time. Being polite teaches us to be mindful of other people and their feelings when making comments and asking questions. Being prepared helps people to more fully interact with their environment when issues arise which must be dealt with. These values are not just simply rules to follow because they are rules and they must be followed. These rules were developed so that, in any setting, work or school, people could be free to manage their time using these concepts. Promptness makes people think about how they use their time wisely. Politeness forces people to think about the ethical side of matters, such as how they respond to people and their situations. Preparedness is a function of professional responsibility. All of these attributes are endemic of good character, which can be perfected over time. Each of these characteristics are good ones to have. The rules that someone should be prompt, polite, and prepared are based on Biblical principles, and focus on the fact that one should use time wisely, and be a good steward of one's time and resources, because time is a gift that has been given to us from God. Therefore, each of us should use our resources and time wisely. In doing this we honor God, our Maker, and give credence and honor to our fellow human beings. Maintaining these attributes make us better people and help to improve our moral character. Wherever one is, being prompt, polite, and prepared are keys to life's success. REFERENCES Boy Scout motto. (2007). Available: www.usscouts.org/advance/boyscout/bsmotto.asp Character attributes. (2010). Available: heroes-villains.com/character-attributes The fallacy of time management. (2010). Available: http://www.christianitytoday.com/workplace/articles/fallacyoftimemanagement.html Polite. (2010). Available: www.babylon.com/definition/polite/English Read More