Where do I begin? What metaphors convey my time here at Jesuit? How do I express the greatness that I will be leaving behind? I guess there’s no better way to encapsulate my own excellence than through the wise words of others. Zlatan Ibrahimović once famously said, “I can’t help but laugh at how perfect I am.” His wisdom echoes the central dogma that permeates my own existence: I am simply perfect. Cristiano Ronaldo, another similarly wise and humble athlete, mirrors this sentiment: “People are jealous of me because I’m young, handsome, and rich.” This is something we definitely have in common. I mean, let’s just admit it: who isn’t jealous of me? If I were to put myself in your shoes (which I would never do because your shoes aren’t as nice as mine), I would be jealous too. So, in the spirit of my intellectual contemporary, George Washington, I would like to address this letter to Jesuit. As Washington, himself, said in the famous musical, Hamilton: “I wanna talk about what I have learned, the hard-won wisdom that I have earned.”
Humility and Empathy
This one is probably my best character trait. If there was one attribute that could define my existence, it would be humility. My level of humility is so astonishing, I would say it is of the highest caliber in the world. But for most normal people, arrogance and pride too often cloud their minds.
Too often we get caught in this situation where we feel attacked or in some form or another of danger, and in modern society, that danger is often not physical, but rather emotional or social. Another’s words could threaten our self-image or jeopardize our social capital, and too often we respond in a defensive matter. We draw ourselves into pointless (and by most accounts simply stupid) arguments or quarrels about who is smarter, who benches more, or who is better at their sport. But if we lay down our pride and assume humility, one can simply detach from the affair. After all, the only thing being harmed is your sense of self. When you let go of this, most of the stresses we face and facades we have to maintain crumble.
It seems almost silly when you sit down and try to rationalize it. Why pretend to be someone you aren’t for people to like you? They’re only liking the person you present, not the one you are. Why defend your ego when you would avoid conflict and injury in just letting it go? After all, harm only comes from the tension between an ego and a perceived threat. If humility resides in place of the ego, there’s no potential for one to incur damage. So what if you’re better at something than me (in a world where I’m not perfect of course)? We have the unique ability to just not care what others think of us, and when we do that, we can find liberation in ourselves. In this way, we can have relationships in which the other values us, not an image of us. And furthermore, we can achieve great things because the threat that criticism poses against our ego disappears while only the potential for growth remains.
Don’t be Controlled by the Moment
Marcus Aurelius
It’s hard to talk about this lesson without the use of more poetic words from other very smart people. I would like the reader to know one thing, however. Although I’m outsourcing some wisdom, I am still much smarter than these people. Nonetheless, I can still recognize intellectual brilliance because it takes one to know one, of course. Put bluntly, if you haven’t gotten the gist yet, I’m really smart, but I dissect.
“Let the part of thy soul which leads and governs be undisturbed by the movements in the flesh, whether of pain or pleasure”
-Marcus Aurelius
In modern American society, we often view freedom as the absence of obligations, or as doing whatever we want. However, this can lead to a moral relativism that prevents any meaningful commitments to social justice and breaks down the laws that govern society. After all, what duty do I have to prevent injustice if it can be defined as justice in another’s eyes? Similarly, what use are the laws that organize the entire country if the nation can’t come to a consensus about what should be permitted or not?
The famous Stoic thinker, Marcus Aurelius, once wrote about the importance of remaining impervious to the moment. He and many other stoics recognize this as the purest source of freedom. They argue that, once one can free himself from the temptations which arise in the moment, they can begin to live their life according to reason and love. This wise view of freedom requires, however, that one escapes society’s more conventional definition of freedom.
Psychology
Beyond the anecdotal evidence and timeless adages, it is basic Psychology 101. Those with an internal locus of control experience greater success, happiness, and have a higher lust for life. Applied Economic and Social Research professors at the University of Melbourne studied the link between an internal locus of control and positive life outcomes (see study here). In 2023, they provided empirical data that supports the direct link between an internal locus of control and overall wellbeing. Additionally, Svetlana Popova found similar results which backed the well-researched phenomenon of positive psychology. Her study found that “young people with an internal locus of control are healthier, happier and more satisfied with their lives than those with an external locus of control.” Put simply, both conventional wisdom and empirical evidence support the anecdote in The Little Engine That Could: “I think I can.” Even as a big engine, I think this to myself quite frequently.
Embrace Failure
One major lesson that I thankfully haven’t had to learn is that the most successful people learn from their failures. And although I, myself, have never failed, I’ve witnessed countless of my peers courageously persevere through trials and come back stronger because of them.
It’s a timeless adage that you must achieve failure to experience the highest levels of growth, but we often don’t understand the depth of this maxim, nor do we appreciate the extent to which it applies to everyday life. James Clear wrote about this in his book, Atomic Habits, in which he reflected on the importance of working within the zone of proximal development. Working within this median between “too easy” and “too hard” allows one to avoid boredom while still achieving failure, but in a meaningful manner. Bodybuilders embody this as their primary goal for every lift is to optimally build muscle. They do this by achieving failure.
Although it’s hard for me to achieve failure – I’ve already maxed out on every lift -, the average person and student can apply this mentality to most aspects of their life and see explosive results. For students, especially, failure is essential. Take at least one class (but two is probably more optimal) every semester that challenges you. Make sure, however, that these challenging classes interest you. Go all in and burn the boats because even if you do fail in results, you’ve won in effort. You’ve won in character. You’ve become someone who perseveres, someone who fears complacency rather than failure, someone immune to the pitch and sway of life. So go and viva la vida (that means “seize the day” for those of you who don’t know Spanish).
Seek Marginal Gains
Marginal gains are another idea that James Clear stole from me and mentioned in his book, Atomic Habits. A quick side note: I would like to point out that I don’t keep mentioning this book because I’m his biggest fan or because he has any sort of wisdom, but I digress. Basically, marginal gains are small, seemingly meaningless improvements that accumulate over time. It refutes the notion that small changes won’t produce large impacts. And mathematical functions back this up.
Assume that you can commit yourself to improve by one percent each day. Additionally, let’s numerically represent your original skill level with some number “p.” Assume “p” equals one. We can mathematically model this in the equation “f(x) = p (1.01)^n” where “n” is the number of days you’ve spent accumulating your one percent of growth. After one month (“n” = 30), so you would have become 35% better at your trade. After one hundred days (“n” = 100), your skill would have increased by 170%, and at one year, you will be over 3700% better at your craft.
This is the power of marginal gains. This is why small habits, consistency, little edges here and there, and dedication separates the successful from the complacent. However, this isn’t just about making money. Apply this to everything you do and take control of your life. Embrace my teachings about marginal gains and see the explosive results. As a freshman, I didn’t understand this. I thought things would come easy, but they didn’t, but after I started caring, I became the excellent man most people know me to be today.
Final Takeaways
If you embrace these precepts that I have so generously laid before you, I promise you’ll experience a rebirth; a renaissance, if you will. Although you may not (most definitely will not) reach the same heights which I have, you will become at the very least smarter because of my words. Adopt my teachings and success will no longer be the goal; Indeed, it will become the symptom of a much deeper transformation of the entire person: the soul.
I firmly believe I have left this institution in a much better place than where I found it, and I do know that I’ve set in stone a greatness that will long outlast my time here (a greatness that will decline immediately following my departure, but a greatness nonetheless). So, although you forgot to say “thank you,” I’ll do everyone the honor of responding in advance. You are truly welcome, Jesuit.
Tune into The Roundup for more viewpoint articles!
