Part 2: Aspire to something greater than yourself. Develop a “magnificent obsession”.
As human beings, there is a fundamental part of our nature to seek purpose, meaning, and fulfillment in our lives. Whether pursuing a career, achieving a personal goal, or making a positive and effective impact in the world, having aspirations gives us a sense of direction and motivation to keep moving forward. Continue reading for insight on how I am illuminating my passion by using Dennis Kimbro’s second tip of How to Stay Motivated from his book, Think and Grow Rich: A Black Choice.
What do you consider greater than yourself?
Let’s dissect this question, shall we? The word “greater” can be perceived a couple of ways. As I mentioned in my previous blog, I am a technical writer with a Mathematics degree, so let’s see how I perceive “greater than yourself”.
Some of us might not have taken a logic or discrete math course, but the following symbol might be familiar to you:
> (Greater than)
Exercise your mind and use your imagination to define what is greater than you. COMBINE YOUR IDEAS WITH ACTION! “When ideas well up from deep within us, ideas that seemingly come out of nowhere, come through infinite intelligence”, (Napolean Hill). I agree with Kimbro when he states, “A single idea can revolutionize your life…lead you to great wealth, fame, or fortune — or bury you in despair”.
INVEST some time to ask yourself and answer the following questions:
- What do I imagine? What opportunities am I envisioning?
To envision means that your imagination is a reality in your mind.
- What would you do for free?
- Where do you want to make an impact?
Now, why do you consider it greater than yourself?
Aspiration is not just about setting goals and working hard to achieve them. It’s about believing in something bigger than yourself and striving to make a difference in the world. Aspiring to something greater than yourself requires courage, determination, and a willingness to take risks. It means stepping outside of your comfort zone and pushing yourself to grow and develop in new ways. It’s removing your ego from the equation. It’s not always easy, but it’s always worth it.
INVEST more time to ask yourself and answer the following questions:
- Who else is impacted?
- What lessons are being revealed to you?
- Why do you care and why should others care?
- What solution are you proposing?
Aspiration is a lifelong pursuit that can continue to evolve and grow throughout your life. Whether you’re just starting out in your career, or you’re looking to make a change later in life, there’s always something greater to aspire to. The key is to have an open mind, remain curious, and stay true to yourself and your values.
What do I consider greater than myself and why?
I consider advocating for curriculum improvements for HBCU students, in order to prepare them for real-world careers, to be greater than myself. It’s important to me because I found myself struggling with applying my math skills during my research internship at William and Mary in 2017. I had a hard time understanding how the differential equation would predict the extinction of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna. I received guidance from the professors, did a ton of research, received peer-guidance on how to write my research paper by using Overleaf, and read a couple of chapters out of the math book, “Chaos: An Introduction to Dynamical Systems”.
I’ve conversed with peers/classmates about how daunting it has been to work with a tool that they were expected to have experience with, but didn’t. For example, working in GitHub. Thankfully, we rose to the challenge and persevered. The goal now is to ensure that early professionals from HBCUs are more equipped before starting their career. Let’s refer back to the Venn-diagram to answer the questions for myself:
As a mathematician, I need to assign the “variables”:
Mission (M)— Create opportunities for students to increase technical career involvement by participating in real-world experiences through curriculum.
Passion (Pa) — Volunteer through career coaching, motivate through service and experience, and empower the youth.
Profession (Pr)— Writing, communicating, and analyzing.
Vocation (V) — Teaching through multiple forms of media and be a continuous learner.
One thing is for certain, your network is an integral part to your mission and success. My mission is rooted in service and reaching more than my inner circle. I’ve been working towards my current mission with a few of VSU Alum and other work colleagues, who are also passionate about creating opportunities for students. We are continuing to build relationships with collegiate faculty and students, and have hosted two interactive workshops, thus far, as technical professionals:
- Industry Exploration: A workshop where we discussed brands to understand the students’ interests, we motivated students to take initiative, to hold themselves accountable, and to take inventory of their strengths and weaknesses. We also briefly shared our career journey during the Q&A portion.
- Technical workshop: A workshop where we introduced the necessary technical skills, roles, and development process. We demonstrated how to use GitHub by using an Integrated Development Environment (IDE), and introduced UNIX/Linux fundamentals.
Conclusion
In conclusion, when you aspire to something greater than yourself, you open yourself up to new opportunities, experiences, and possibilities. One of the most powerful aspects is the impact it can have on others. When you pursue a goal or a dream that is aligned with your values and beliefs, you can inspire others to do the same. Your passion, dedication, and hard work can create a ripple effect of positive change in the world. The world needs more people like you, with experience, who are willing to make a difference. Be courageous and dream big, work hard, and aspire to something greater than yourself!