Success Theory

This theory was formulated because this was the final requirement my professor asked me to produce in my MS subject Educational Theories and Strategies. At first it was hard to think of my own theory. But when I delivered my speech during the commemncement exercises of my elementary Alma Mater where I was invited as speaker, the idea popped-up and this was the product.

INTRODUCTION

In almost all school reunions, the question that buzzes each of the attendee is the question whether one becomes successful or not. This always happens with a group who consistently gather. The attendees of this kind of gathering mostly are those who have something to flaunt. It can be a partner, material things like car, establishments and the like. Often, these become predictors whether one achieved success or not. That is why if one does not have something to flaunt about, his absence to that event is certain.

Somehow, observable things may show one’s success but this is only one strand of the broad spectrum of life’s success. There are more different ranges that can tell whether one is successful or not and these are discussed in the succeeding parts of this paper.

The term success in this paper is operationally used as the extent one has achieved 15 or more years after his primary schooling. In average, this can fall in the mid-20 ages where one is expected to have been acquired collegiate or vocational trainings, or have been settled in a married life.

Classifying the success of the abovementioned age group is possible as well as the leveling of their success. By classifying one’s success, one will be able to know if he really is successful or not. To provide an endpoint to satisfaction, the levels of success will prompt every dreamer to stop at a certain level. Once one has reached the peak level of success, it is advised to seek no more of other success to prevent dissatisfaction.

Back to the school reunion scenario, other attendees have long been expected to achieve success. Others are a surprise for they don’t become of what is expected of them. It could be either the one expected to be successful becomes failure or vice versa. What predictors then truly foresee who will become successful and not. All these are discussed in the proceeding parts.

CLASSIFICATION OF SUCCESS

There are five classifications of success. These are the academic, financial, fame, dual, and multiple success. Each type has distinct features that make each type unique from one another. Their features are elaborated in the paragraphs below.

1. Academic Success
Once one is able to surpass tertiary level of schooling he becomes academically successful. However, academic success varies in degree. The first is the D degree, the one who graduated without distinction and is unemployed. The second is the C degree, the one who obtained flying colors when graduated but unemployed. The third is the B degree, the one who finished schooling with no distinction but is able to land a job. The fourth is the A degree, the employed honor graduate. The fifth and the highest degree is the A+ degree, those employed who obtained masters and/or doctorate degrees.

One may argue why an unemployed college graduate considered being successful. It is because tertiary schooling is a privilege and having able to acquire college diploma entitles one of an advantage that in a little way tagged him more successful than others.

Job placement is one sign of success that is why the employed graduate with no distinction outshine the unemployed graduate with distinction.

2. Financial Success
There are people though are not able to graduate from college become rich or become even richer than those who obtained a college or graduate degree. These people are called financially successful. They become successful not because of their formal education but of their skills. Among these kinds of people are the ones who obtained vocational courses or those who have exceptional skills. Often they become businessmen. Possession of money or wealth is the evident sign of this kind of success.

3. Fame Success
People who become successful because of fame are called famously successful. Famous individuals like celebrities and politicians are some of them.

4. Dual Success
Dual success is characterized by the combination of two of the three types stated earlier. The types of which are the aca-finance, aca-fame, and the finance-fame persons.

There are people who are academically successful and at the same time financially successful, or the aca-finance persons. This could be because when they graduated, they luckily land a job and earned money. Or, they first became financially successful before they get a college degree, which is very rare.

Also, there are people who are academically and famously successful, or the aca-fame people. This happens either because their academic success brings fame to them or they first become famous and later seek academic success.

The finance-fame persons are the financially successful and at the same time famous. Their acquisition of such titles may either brought by being famous first then become well-off, or they first become well-off and eventually become famous.

5. Multiple Success
This type of success is described by the presence of the first three types of success, the academic, financial, and fame.People under this type possess education, money, and prominence.


ECHELONS OF SUCCESS

Success comes with various levels. It describes success path which a dreamer may take. Like any other endeavors, success has its dip and peak. It has its base level and the apex level.

To visually describe the increasing level of success, a figure below is presented.





Figure 1. A stair figure that shows the echelons of success.

In the echelons of success, the first and the basic level that one must achieve is the academic success level. In almost all countries in the world, acquiring education is the foremost indication of success. In the developing countries like the Philippines, education served as an avenue to escape poverty. Job opportunities are more generously offered to those who acquire college diploma. That is why if one does not acquire full education, one finds it hard to improve his lifestyle and proceed to the next level of success.

Others, in so many reasons, skip the first level and carry on to the financial success level. They take the shorter route to success. Although people under this level can be considered as more advantageous than the first level, later in the lives of those who skip the ground level may still seek for an academic success. Regret is expected to be experienced by those who miss out the basic level.
Another reason why it is advised to take the basic level is that when the time comes that one fails to sustain his success in finance, he still have his education that will serve as his capital to step up and proceed in his journey to success. If one does not take the basic level, one will find it hard to climb up on the stairs of success.

There are also persons who luckily started their voyage towards success in the third level, the fame success. But like the others, their foundations are weak because when the time their prominence vanish and they don’t get complete education, nothing will sustain them in the stair of success.

It is then clear that person’s path of success may start in any of the first three levels but it is also noted that having accomplished the first or the basic level is very significant for one to be able to keep up on the stairs of success.

The fourth level is the dual success. It is described in the classification of success that dual success is characterized with having two of the first three levels. Two kinds of this level are considered strong-rooted, the aca-fame, and the aca-finance persons. Strong-rooted because the two both acquire the basic level that provides sustainability in the hierarchy of success, the academic success. A finance-fame person, on the other hand, is relatively weak for he does not obtain the basic level.

The peak of the journey for success is the multiple success level wherein an individual is equipped with all the kinds of successes. Once one is already in the summit he may then be considered as an ultimately successful. Some people who reach this point may sometime feel discontentment. They feel like reaching more and to step more if there are more levels to step on. In time like this, they are better advised to build another stairs of success but with different actor or climber. It could be their sons or daughters or a kin who will climb up the stairs of success through their help.

Farmville Teaches

It took a long time before I decided to plow fields, sow seeds, erect trees, raise animals and harvest crops. It took a long time before I played the Farmville.

Though I already have a facebook account long before it became so popular, I did not throw any attention to the featured games in the website. All I care were the messages come from my friends, colleagues, and prospect relatives who might find my account. I even ignored all other requests of events, gifts, neighbors, applications, etc. And besides, because of the nature of my work, I don’t have enough time to play online.

But over a year now, numerous people have gone gaga over the Farmville. Boys, girls, professionals, bums, and all walks of life seem to play, love, and addicted to it. Not to exclude my pupils. They keep on talking about their levels, coins, cash, gifts, and properties. They also frequently buzz of statements like “Aani na ako.” and “Hala! Mabubulok na yung tanim ko!” Question if I also play the Farmville is often asked to me by them and I casually say I don’t, just to notice their evident disappointment.

Haunted by the assumption that my pupils think that I am not “cool” despite my young age, I tried to play, and if only my mobile broadband didn’t run out of load, I would not notice that it already took me four hours playing. I, too, was hooked up. And by being hooked up I was able to contemplate the values it tries to teach among my pupils which I hope they are grasping.

Farmville teaches us to appreciate farming. Farming is one I want my pupils to be grateful for. Now that most of students aim to land a job away from the tedious farming, I hope my pupils would realize that the farmers serve as the backbone of a country. Farmers’ hardships are the reasons why foods are served in our every table and platter that feed each cell of our body. With just this thought, I hope they give high regards to farmers. Ironically, the farmers themselves shoo away their kids from farming. That’s why very rarely that a kid dreams to be a farmer when asked what he’ll become when he grows. We can’t blame them and I know everybody knows who to blame.

Children’s values of sharing and camaraderie are honed in Farmville. With all the gifts my pupils have sending me and the fertilization they’ve done with my farm, I know even in that way, they’ve learned to share the things they are abundant of. They’ve learned to love their neighbors in Farmville and I hope they learn to love their real-life neighbors, too, unlike some grown-ups who frequently argue their fellows, which I don’t want them to do.

By becoming a Farmville farmer, one’s sense of responsibility is sharpened and I expect my pupils to become more responsible in all of their ventures just like the way they prevent their crops to be withered, for I don’t want their future to be drooped and become one of the country’s trashes.

Since Farmville allows its players to improve one’s farm, I suppose my pupils develop the sense of aiming and reaching a goal. I hope that as early as today, they have already designed the path that they will follow and drawn the map that will guide them to the treasure they want to seek for in the near future. I want them to continue aspiring despite life’s imbalances and difficulties.

A lot can be learned from playing Farmville and as my pupils and I continue on playing, we will all persist in developing our own life’s fields. Though it took me long to finally decide playing the Farmville, I know that living by the virtue of the values the game is teaching us, it won’t take me and my pupils long to reap the fruits of what we have sown.

(This article is written for an attempt to be published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer's Youngblood. It is not published yet and I know it won't be published anymore. Thanks to this blog. I can post every article I want to be published.)