Role of Success in People`s Life

Another key ingredient for success is having mentors to guide the way. In society today people often think they can rise to great heights alone; however, this is not true. If we became successful someone on the outside helped us in some way to achieve our goals because no one can do it alone. There are many studies showing that everyone needs help to flourish in life. Even people who suffered from bad home lives or not even having a home because their parents were addicted to drugs can reach their dreams with guidance from helpful individuals.

Despite all these difficulties, we can still be successful with role models like teachers, counselors, or a friend. Liz Murray is a really good example of this. Unfortunately, when Murray was young around 15-year-old she started living anywhere she could, but not by choice. Her parents loved Murray even though they couldn’t provide a home because they both were addicted to heroin. In fact, Jonnelle Davis’ article, “Liz Murray,” explains “That addiction led to both parents acquiring HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, and to Murray having to spend part of her adolescence in group homes, sleeping on friends’ couches and in hallways and parks”(1).

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Because of her parents being addicted to heroin, Murray did not go to school, which made her fall behind everyone in her class. When, Murray was just a 16-year-old often being homeless over a year she lost her mother from AIDS, which made a big impact in her life.

For example Davis shows us that “ Murray said her mother’s death was her wake up call”(2). This was very important for Murray because she realized she needed to go back to high school, and find someone to help her finish to graduate and maybe go to college. After Murray returned to high school her guidance counselor changed her life with the help of scholarships to colleges. Since Murray went back and got the help she needed to be successful, she went to Harvard for her degree in psychology, and now she studies at Columbia University for her Masters.

However, what if individuals want guidance but there is a lack of mentor programs to assist young people in school, and in the community? This happens to a lot of smart young people, who just need that one person to care about them. In Malcolm Gladwell’s novel, Outliers, by describing the story of Chris Langan he illustrates clearly a poor family of five and a stepfather, who bullwhipped the boys to have them listen and he locked the food in the cabinets. This demonstrates his mother not being the role model to help support her family either. Also, Chris was a smart student in high school, who got offered “two full scholarships” to university. However, soon he found out his mother failed to fully fill out paperwork for financial aid at Reed College. For instance, Chris explains “Then I lost that scholarship…. My mother was supposed to fill out a parents’ financial statement for the renewal of that scholarship. She neglected to do so”(Gladwell 93).

Since Chris’ mother did not fill it out he went to the office to ask for help, but “There was no counseling no mentoring nothing” Langan said (Gladwell 93). After seeking help, he realized the school did not care about him or to get help him find resources to stay in college. Since, no one was there for Chris when he was young, he couldn’t reach his full potential. Imagine getting up one day and deciding to start a charity but did knowing anything about it. We would need someone who could help because they know how to start a charity.

In “Mighty Mentor Key To Success,” by Kris Hallenga, explains that Hallenga wanted to start a charity but has no clue how to start. So she did research on who could help her and got introduced to Kate Lee who was the “CEO of Myton Hospices”. Hallenga started to talk to her and wanted to know more and to ask questions. Kris met with her multiple times and “she became the most important mentor I ever had,”(Hallenga). Lee had so much knowledge on charities and wanted to help Hallenga, so she became an important mentor in her life because she guided the way. As we can see having role models at a young age to guide us on the right path will make the difference in our levels of achievement.