The Possibility of Success - Essay Example

The possibility of success is probably the biggest motivator there is, as it acts as the force which pushes people to perform better and do their best in spite of all the constraints they face. But what is of consequence is the fact that rarely has success been achieved by a person completely all by themselves, no matter how hard or diligently they have worked. There have been very few successful men- maybe even none- who can say that they achieved their greatness single- handedly and without the help and support of those who backed them along the way. Success stories are not created overnight and single-handedly and to say that most have been fashioned as a result of solitary efforts would be to make an assumption that has no basis in reality. The examples of this phenomenon abound in every walk of life. Movies and literature are teeming with success stories that talk of people and how the support that they received has played a great role in giving them the success that they have today. An excellent example of such a ‘person’ who achieved success as a result of the support that was given to him along his path to success is the character of “Babe” in the movie of the same name. Known as “Babe -the gallant pig“, this movie depicts the character of a pig who is raised on a farm owned by Farmer Hoggett, by a family of border collies and who aspires to be a sheep-dog one day. Babe is well liked by every animal on the farm as he is a friendly and polite animal, something which turns out to be the very secret behind his eventual success as a “sheep-dog”. The movie highlights the relationship that Babe has with most resident animals of the farm and how he is taught the value of politeness by “Maa”, the elderly ewe who also lives on the farm. The family of sheep dogs that raise Babe have a condescending attitude towards the other animals on the farm and they view most other animals as ‘stupid’. The ewe tells Babe that he too can become a sheep-dog and he can substitute his weaknesses by working on his strategy and ’asking’ the sheep to move, rather than to force them or to treat them roughly. As a result of this, babe, in spite of his small size and stature, is able to impress farmer Hogget with his abilities when he herds the chickens on the farm one day, separating the brown ones from the white. As a result of this, Farmer Hoggett decides to take Babe to the field the next day where he again impresses the farmer by his uncanny ability to guide and herd the sheep and in doing so, Babe angers Rex, who is the head of the family of Sheep -dogs with whom Babe has grown up and who feels threatened that Babe has stolen his job. This leads to a fight that takes place between Rex and Fly, the female Border Collie who has taken care of Babe and in the resulting fight farmer Hoggett gets injured by Rex who is then chained up. As a result of this incident, the job permanently becomes Babes responsibility. The pig’s life changes when Farmer Hoggett decides to enter his name in the sheep dog trails. The story shows how, even with his different and gentle approach towards herding the sheep, Babe is unable to convince the sheep on the trail day to listen to him, and it is only when the animals back on the Hoggett farm join together despite of their differences, that babe succeeds in performing his task. The border collie Rex runs to the sheep on the Hoggett farm so he can ask them the “special sheep password” which eventually helps Babe win the competition and adoration of everyone at the fair. The movie highlights the most important aspect of relationships and their ability to turn possible failures into success through the giving and receiving of support which is an extremely positive influence on a person’s ability to perform and succeed. Other examples of the fact come to us in the form of sports. Even the most solitary sports which require no need for a combined team effort are usually impossible to perfect without the help of a team of dedicated people who ‘make the success happen’. An example of such a sport is Tennis. Even though the actual game itself is played by a single individual, to say that the player himself is the single cause of all success would be a gross mistake. Although the success undeniably has a lot to do with the very technique and skill level of the player itself, but these techniques and skills have to be learned and mastered over a course of time, something which cannot be done without the help of coaches and trainers. Even the physical fitness of a tennis player is dependent upon the fitness trainers that he works with. As in all other sports, moral and emotional support plays a great role in the well being of the player and it helps the players gain confidence in their ability to succeed, and it is this confidence which eventually helps in the attainment of all triumphs that a player achieves over the course of his/her career (Cohen, n.d). The fact that a person who is utterly isolated will eventually succumb to failure is a reality that is evident in all aspects of life. Business analysts and researchers have put in years of effort to devise strategies and plans which promote organizational support at the workplace. It is a well known fact that businesses cannot achieve success without the commitment and support of the people who actually make up the workforce. As in the movie Babe, a leader cannot make his business succeed or even work without the help and support of his workforce, a fact which leads to the sad demise of hundreds of business set ups all around the world. Garrett (1998) notes that employee commitment and interest has a lot to do with organizational success and states that an employee who is empowered and who feels a part of the organization itself will eventually perform in a way which has positive implications for the whole of the firm. Hence, like Rex the Border Collie, bosses who ‘ram’ their employees into working will never be able to attain the respect or commitment of the employees that they will require to make their business a success, and it is in fact people like ‘Babe’ who, with their ability to gain the trust and approval, are the better leaders out of the two. Having taken business activities as an example, we can also take history as an instance and discuss the implication of support and its effects thereof. From the previous examples we have given support to the argument that sustainable success does not happen as a result of solitary efforts. As in the case of Babe the pig, people, in most eventualities- require the help of others around them in their quest for success. A historical example of this comes to us in the form of the American war of independence which lasted eight years and as a result of which, America was able to declare itself a sovereign nation which was no longer answerable to the British monarchy. This revolutionary war was initially waged between the Britishers and the residents of the thirteen American colonies and eventually became a power play between the largest and most powerful nations in the world. At the start of the war, the American residents, otherwise known as the ‘Patriots’ did not have a trained army and consisted of men who had no previous training for battle and very light armament. Over the course of the war, the Patriots suffered heavy losses at the hands of the Britishers who had a skilled and trained army. Although they kept the war going through their sheer will power, and won a number of wars such as the battle of Saratoga, it was only after France declared open alliance with the Patriots that their morale began to rise. With the help of France and other nations who later affiliated themselves with the American people, the militia were able to aim blow after blow towards the British army, who, although skilled and resourceful- were still having to wage a war in unknown territory, and who were always having to improvise for the delays in receiving supplies and armaments that had to be shipped from their homeland (Shy, 1976). As a result of this, the British finally gave in and the treaty of Paris was signed which acknowledged the existence of America as a sovereign nation. This example, once again sheds light on the importance of support and how it can completely re-form efforts in a way through which they can be translated into success. Another crucial fact that adds to the importance of support for the attainment of success is that support not only makes the success easier to achieve, but it also lights the way to it. A group of people can make things happen faster and with increasingly low margins of error as compared to a scenario where one person is performing the job single-handedly. An example of this is the phenomena known as the Web 2.0, a concept of online communities where individuals can take part in rapid exchange of information which will lead to the development of better, more error-free programs at a much faster pace. The authors of the book “We are smarter than Me”, have discussed the implications of Web 2.0 and have provided an insight into the gains that can be achieved by the development of business communities, social networks and crowd sourcing, and how these can in return benefit people and organizations by providing them with perfect information that will aid them in making decisions in a much more informed way (Libert & Spector, 2008). Any activity, whether it is related to work or to recreation, can hardly be deemed fruitful in the long run if that work is not supported by other people. A single person can never fight a battle alone and this is the case in almost every instance that one may encounter in the daily life. Living in a society, we are directly affected by the actions of those with whom we share our existence, and as a consequence, so is our work and our ability to succeed at it. Hence it would be accurate to say that people who have the backing and support of their peers and of those who are working directly under or in close relation to them, are generally more likely to succeed at what they do, as compared to those who are alone. Work Cited Barber, C., Hearnshaw, P., Miller, B., Miller, G., Mitchell, D.,& Paris, D. (1995). Babe. America: Universal Studios. Cohen, P., J. (n.d). Tennis Confidence and Coping with Errors. Available at: http://globalsportscoaching.com/Free_Tennis_Articles/Tennis_Confidence_Tennis_Training.htm. [Retrieved on 15th May,2010]. Garrett, D. (1998). Inclusive Management. Internet Research: Electronic Networking Applications and Policy. Vol. 8, No. 3. Pp. 251-258. Libert, B., & Spector, J. (2008). We are Smarter than Me. New Jersey: Wharton School Publishing. Shy, J. (1976). A People Numerous and Armed: Reflections on the Military Struggle for American Independence. New York: Oxford University Press. Read More