Chasing the Peak

Today's maths class was really though. I mean I find practically all MT105a classes challenging but today's was just exceptionally hard. Honestly, I am panicking because in my mind I'm thinking what if I don't do well in this subject? What if I fail? What if I don't receive a good grade on my degree? So many questions...

However, I was just pondering over this and a thought struck me. "Just because you aren't a maths whiz, does it make you any less successful?" It got me thinking and after some thought here's some of the #walkinghomethoughts that came to mind:

The world generally defines success as being on top of your game, having a soaring career, scoring well in your exams, earning loads of money, being better than anyone else, etc.. etc... But is it justified? If I can't excel in my academics, does it make me any less successful? You see, the world wants the best of the best. Sometimes it feels like anything less than an A will not be considered. So as our world grows in knowledge and as people grow smarter, average people, who are not able to grasp new information and data as fast, will be pushed back further and further, losing out on opportunities in life. Sooner or later, what we define as an average student today will be considered stupid in the future. Should we be placing so much emphasis on the top all the time? Yes, careers, academic qualifications, income are important but should our "success" be hung on these alone? Or are there other ways of defining success? Is it justified that just because I earn more than you, I am more successful? 

What if I've worked my hardest, done my best and scored a C on a paper while another person who did not study got a B. Does it make him more successful than me? If he had studied really hard he could have scored an A. Would I be considered the "failure" when the talented guy did not utilize his aptitude for the subject to the maximum? 

I believe that sometimes, (or if not all of the time) we chase such things in life to satisfy our own insecurities. We feel like we are no one, so we need to show and prove ourselves to the world. That "Hey, I'm good and smart!" On the other hand, was this mind-set birthed from the world's wanting of the crème de la crème? Possibly.

So through my thoughts, I was reminded of a song called "The Reason I Sing" by Jimmy Needham. It a song where Jimmy sings of success as how his industry and as the world defines it, but at the end, he reaches a conclusion that God is the most important. The songs goes on to say that perhaps we should define success as obedience to God. 

I really like this song because I really relate to it. It helps me reset my perspectives. I hope it will encourage you too. That's all for now!

Dennis