표준화된 인간들을 대량으로 찍어내고 그 중의 정해진 적은 비율 안에 든 사람만이 성공하는 시스템이 더이상 먹히지 않는, 개성화 다양화 시대가 도래했으므로 기존의 방식에서 벗어나 자신만의 개성을 찾아 갈고 닦아야 한다는 이야기. 새해를 맞아 시대를 선도하는 자기계발서를 읽은 느낌이다. 구구절절 맞는 이야기지만 그나마 다양성이 존재하는 미국만의 이야기가 아닐까 싶다가도 그렇다고 우리나라에서 일어날 수 없는 이야기는 또 아닌 듯 싶다. 기존의 틀을 부수고 주위 사람들의 만류와 걱정을 물리치고 자기만의 길을 가는 것이 쉬운가. 그것도 목적지를 버리라는 데 목적지없이 방황하는 것을 우리의(타인이나 가족 뿐만이 아니라 바로 나 자신의) 표준화된 기존의 고정관념이 가만 놓아두지 않는데 말이다. 용기가 필요하다. 하지만 행복이 별 것인가. 성공을 위한 (성공은 과연 무엇인가에 대한 생각도 해 보아야 한다. 정말로 성공이 부, 명예, 학벌 등등과 관련이 없는 오롯이 자신만의 행복만을 의미하는 것인지 곰곰이 다시 한 번 더 생각해볼 일이다.)
These conventional grandmasters - Mozart, Buffett, Woods - seem to offer a more easily reproducible strategy for success: know your destination, work hard (very, very hard), and stay the course in the face of all obstacles until you reach your goal...
Personalized success is living a life of fulfillment and excellence.
Of course every parent wants their child to be happy - but they take it as an article of faith that the promised rewards of the straight path will offer their child the freedom to indulge whatever needs and passions might arise later in life, thereby compensating for any hypothetical joys that were renounced along the way.
Though the precise twists and twirls of every horse journey are unique, the first step of the journey is always the same: the decision to prioritize fulfillment. When dark horses make that choice, they do not focus on the potential wealth to be had or how masterful they might one day become. Instead, they recognize that an opportunity exists that fits their individuality- and they seize it.
Your motives comprise the emotional core of your individuality. What you desire-and what you do not desire-defines who you are in unique and deeply personal manner.
Identifying what inspires you might seem like a no-brainer. What could be easier than recognizing what fires you up? Unfortunately, surveying the landscape of you motivation is harder than it looks because the Standardization Covenant is always kicking sand in your eyes.
The only way to know for sure is to go out into the world and try them.
When you learn to Know your Micro-Motives, you can engineer your own passion, which endows you with energy and authenticity. When you learn to Know Your Choices, you can engineer your own purpose, which provides you with meaning and direction.
One thing that helped me so much was ignoring the destination and being open to new choices, and that's what I try to impress upon young people: if you stick to the straight and narrow, you will miss the opportunities that fit you even better.
It is an opportunity that can be realized only if you make the commitment to harness your individuality in the pursuit of fulfillment to attain excellence.