There exists this prevailing rhetoric that a person should not define themselves in terms of their achievements.
Why is the general media and pop psychology relentlessly trying to drum it into our heads that accomplishments should not matter? I just don't get it. What's wrong with defining yourself by your achievements? What it wrong with having a goal, performing it, and successfully accomplishing that goal?
It should be a good thing to have a sense of accomplishment, a sense of achieving a goal, and having a sense of purpose.
actually noticed it all my life growing up.
"try your best" "do your best"
But then when I DO actually do the best and do the best compared to everyone else, it is somehow evil to point that out.
...or Success???
__that success does not define a person, or a job does not define a person, or accomplishments do not define a person---
**Psychiatrists, counselors in popular philosobabble always ask this particular question: "Tell me who you are. Define who youuu are. Describe who you are.""
Then if someone says they are a teacher or a doctor, or if they start to list their accomplishments. perhaps their band made regional, and they are a band leader (((copy th thing from fsusan's band acompsl list-)))___
Then the psychiatrist abruptly interrupts them and says__ ''I am not asking what you do for a living. I am not asking what your job is. I am asking who youu aree..."
all the charming little monikers that grade school dumbazzes label smart kids with:
Know-it-all
Show-off
Teacher's pet
Goody-two-shoes
And the ones that <adults> moniker smart, accomplished kids with:
Overachiever
Perfectionist
----
There is this weird, skewed notion that to achieve, that to set very high goals for oneself, is a bad thing.
Actually, allow me to be more specific. There sure as hell are a lot of congratulations for trying, oh pooh poohing, "you tried your best, that's all that matters." "Actual grades are not important, what's important is that you worked really hard." "The sky is the limit." "If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything." They said these last ones, smugly comfortable in the definite knowledge for sure that no one would *actually* achieve anything.
Oh, but to actually astonishingly achieve the aforementioned goals goes against people's delicate sensibilities. It is a strange widespread societal phenomenon that to actually *achieve* those very high goals is bad. And that to be genuinely *good* at the job, and that to have natural *inherent talent* are all distasteful. [[[_opposi of laudable; voracious no;;;; vicious ehh not qut;;;;;;;
It is because *they* feel inadequate compared to the smart kids or smt.
*•*•* to first part, add the ""charming moniker"" tidbit;; the teacher's pet,, show-offf
--overachv-- as if there is a magical pre-determined upper limit of acceptable success. anyone that dares to venture above this or crane their necks out a bit,,,_____ is castigated as trying too hard or being a show-off.
((threshold bit was orig here)))
Add to accompl achnv essay-- 2nd part??? not onnly having accompl, but also ***talking*** about them....
-What's wrong with ****bragging**** about one's accompsinekrh?
What's wrong with boasting?
ifff anyone crosses over this threshold, they will be met with swift [[[[discipline??nono,,justice??nono____]]]]
--it is very heavily enforced through a system of social checkpoints___ [[[[it is considered rude, it is considered bad taste,;;;
//-/theeyy will be ostracized, innto a social pariah ---- LEPERrrr
--- Noone likes a braggart,, noone likes a show-off]]]]. [[[welll why should I concern myself with what people like and don't like?? I thought all you people were in favor of freedom of speech____ Here I am, free speeching.
I notice that this is a distinct artifact of white people's culture. They think it is the height of bad taste, impoliteness to brag about one’s personal accomplishments. They think it one of the worst grievances against social propriety to talk about one's achievements. (National scholar? Noone wants to hear about that. Regional band champion? Don't you dare talk about it. Dean's List? Quiet.) (It is also a remnant of black people's culture, but from a different angle.)0
Sometimes I hear people on TV or in books describe a kid as being "just an average kid." Before arriving at the small women's college, I truly had not been acquainted with such a specimen. I attended a mostly upper-middle-class-white high school, and it was an excellent environment in which to come of age. These kids were extraordinary. They were accomplished, they were intelligent. They did tons of community volunteer work. They were talented in music, mathematics, chorus, athletics, academic Beta Club.
Regarding the accolades, they were not simply being coddled by the local town or school district. These kids completed several Advanced Placement courses. They did excellently on their SATs and other such exams. Those are all national standards. They competed in regional and state band conferences, athletic tournaments.
These high school classmates were not just "average kids." They were, as popular lexicon currently classifies, "overachievers." I happen to think that this concept is a very positive one. Growing up engulfed in that environment was incredibly invigorating. This spurred me to establish goals lofty and high but in a good realistic way, and to accomplish them.
As a contrast, Asians do not harbor any self-consciousness issues about boasting. Nor do they mind in the least hearing about other people's accomplishments. They do not take any sort of personal offense at the fact that someone set out to achieve a goal, and then achieved it.
Why is the general media and pop psychology relentlessly trying to drum it into our heads that accomplishments should not matter? I just don't get it. What's wrong with defining yourself by your achievements? What it wrong with having a goal, performing it, and successfully accomplishing that goal?
It should be a good thing to have a sense of accomplishment, a sense of achieving a goal, and having a sense of purpose.
actually noticed it all my life growing up.
"try your best" "do your best"
But then when I DO actually do the best and do the best compared to everyone else, it is somehow evil to point that out.
...or Success???
__that success does not define a person, or a job does not define a person, or accomplishments do not define a person---
**Psychiatrists, counselors in popular philosobabble always ask this particular question: "Tell me who you are. Define who youuu are. Describe who you are.""
Then if someone says they are a teacher or a doctor, or if they start to list their accomplishments. perhaps their band made regional, and they are a band leader (((copy th thing from fsusan's band acompsl list-)))___
Then the psychiatrist abruptly interrupts them and says__ ''I am not asking what you do for a living. I am not asking what your job is. I am asking who youu aree..."
all the charming little monikers that grade school dumbazzes label smart kids with:
Know-it-all
Show-off
Teacher's pet
Goody-two-shoes
And the ones that <adults> moniker smart, accomplished kids with:
Overachiever
Perfectionist
----
There is this weird, skewed notion that to achieve, that to set very high goals for oneself, is a bad thing.
Actually, allow me to be more specific. There sure as hell are a lot of congratulations for trying, oh pooh poohing, "you tried your best, that's all that matters." "Actual grades are not important, what's important is that you worked really hard." "The sky is the limit." "If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything." They said these last ones, smugly comfortable in the definite knowledge for sure that no one would *actually* achieve anything.
Oh, but to actually astonishingly achieve the aforementioned goals goes against people's delicate sensibilities. It is a strange widespread societal phenomenon that to actually *achieve* those very high goals is bad. And that to be genuinely *good* at the job, and that to have natural *inherent talent* are all distasteful. [[[_opposi of laudable; voracious no;;;; vicious ehh not qut;;;;;;;
It is because *they* feel inadequate compared to the smart kids or smt.
*•*•* to first part, add the ""charming moniker"" tidbit;; the teacher's pet,, show-offf
--overachv-- as if there is a magical pre-determined upper limit of acceptable success. anyone that dares to venture above this or crane their necks out a bit,,,_____ is castigated as trying too hard or being a show-off.
((threshold bit was orig here)))
Add to accompl achnv essay-- 2nd part??? not onnly having accompl, but also ***talking*** about them....
-What's wrong with ****bragging**** about one's accompsinekrh?
What's wrong with boasting?
ifff anyone crosses over this threshold, they will be met with swift [[[[discipline??nono,,justice??nono____]]]]
--it is very heavily enforced through a system of social checkpoints___ [[[[it is considered rude, it is considered bad taste,;;;
//-/theeyy will be ostracized, innto a social pariah ---- LEPERrrr
--- Noone likes a braggart,, noone likes a show-off]]]]. [[[welll why should I concern myself with what people like and don't like?? I thought all you people were in favor of freedom of speech____ Here I am, free speeching.
I notice that this is a distinct artifact of white people's culture. They think it is the height of bad taste, impoliteness to brag about one’s personal accomplishments. They think it one of the worst grievances against social propriety to talk about one's achievements. (National scholar? Noone wants to hear about that. Regional band champion? Don't you dare talk about it. Dean's List? Quiet.) (It is also a remnant of black people's culture, but from a different angle.)0
Sometimes I hear people on TV or in books describe a kid as being "just an average kid." Before arriving at the small women's college, I truly had not been acquainted with such a specimen. I attended a mostly upper-middle-class-white high school, and it was an excellent environment in which to come of age. These kids were extraordinary. They were accomplished, they were intelligent. They did tons of community volunteer work. They were talented in music, mathematics, chorus, athletics, academic Beta Club.
Regarding the accolades, they were not simply being coddled by the local town or school district. These kids completed several Advanced Placement courses. They did excellently on their SATs and other such exams. Those are all national standards. They competed in regional and state band conferences, athletic tournaments.
These high school classmates were not just "average kids." They were, as popular lexicon currently classifies, "overachievers." I happen to think that this concept is a very positive one. Growing up engulfed in that environment was incredibly invigorating. This spurred me to establish goals lofty and high but in a good realistic way, and to accomplish them.
As a contrast, Asians do not harbor any self-consciousness issues about boasting. Nor do they mind in the least hearing about other people's accomplishments. They do not take any sort of personal offense at the fact that someone set out to achieve a goal, and then achieved it.
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