Yesterday, I wrote about focus and how deprivation causes amplification of this focus. I also wrote about how I, myself, am perhaps too focused. Why spend so much time working on one thing? To promote success. This got me thinking. Maybe each of us has our own level of an internal need to strive for success. Notice I say strive, because it is the actions one takes to attempt to achieve success that matter, not the final level of success. Some people, no matter how hard they work or how successful they become, will always feel it is necessary to continue to work hard in order to achieve even greater success. Jordan, for instance, went back for another 3-peat after his retirement. Success: a journey, not a destination (cliche, I know). I remember learning about how people have a certain need for achievement. Those that have a high need will take on moderately difficult tasks in order to challenge themselves but make success likely. Perhaps, though, there are people with such a high need that they must take on the most difficult tasks that they can so that they don't feel insufficient or as if they are slacking (because clearly, it is impossible to get into med school if you take the regular section of Philosophy so you sure as hell better take the honors section).

Then again, there are also people who are perfectly happy with whatever path life takes, no matter the success. They feel no great internal need to test their limits in order to prove to themselves that they are worthy. I don't think, though, that these levels are black and white; rather, this need for success is a continuum, with some people needing a moderate amount.

I confess that I am one of the sadistic people that only feels successful when I am working hard. Only by being in 24.5 organizations while holding 4 jobs (slight exaggeration on the number of jobs, but not the organizations =P) can I feel like I am leading a successful life. Otherwise, I think to myself, "I could have taken the position but I was too much of a chicken to add something else to my plate." What I've realized, then, is that what people need is a moderate need for achievement. Everything in moderation (I know, I know, again with the cliches). This way, they feel a drive to succeed, thereby helping them become better people, but when they achieve success, they can feel happy about their achievements. Easy enough to say, but a lot more difficult to do. I'm still working on it, myself. If this is indeed an internal trait, then it truly is hard to change. Traits can be enduring: difficult, though not impossible, to change. I'll give change a try if you will. With me?