Bringing out the best: tap into your achievement zone

American Fitness, Nov-Dec, 2003 by Victor M. Parachin

In 1947, University of Chicago professor Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, Ph.D., was scheduled to teach an advanced astrophysics seminar. He was living in Wisconsin at the time, doing research at the Yerkes Astronomical Observatory. Hc planned to commute twice a week for the class, even though it would bc held during the harsh winter months.

Unfortunately, only two students enrolled in the seminar. People expected Chandrasekhar to cancel rather than waste his time on such a small class. However, for the sake of the two students, he taught the seminar, commuting 100 miles round trip through back country roads in the dead of winter. Chandrasekhar demonstrated the increasingly rare and remarkable virtue of faithfulness--he could be counted on. Ten years later, his students, Chen Ning Yang and Tsung-Dao Lee, both won the Nobel prize for physics. Chandrasekhar won the same prize in 1983.

Individuals like Chandrasekhar, who rise to the top professionally, make great contributions to their field and enjoy success as well as fame, are not simply "gifted" or "lucky." They intuitively tap into their achievement zones by harnessing and effectively utilizing qualities common to all people. Faithfulness to a commitment is one of those qualities. Here are five others which can help you bring out the best in yourself.

1) Apply the right "Ds" daily. Although many jobs are not high-paying and daily tasks, not always glamorous, we can add dignity and meaning to them by applying the three "Ds": diligence, dependability and discipline. Martin Luther King, Jr., said, "If a man is called to be a streetsweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, 'Here lived a great streetsweeper who did his job well.'"

Ruth Simmons recently became president of Smith College, one of the country's most prestigious higher learning institutions for women. It was an incredible achievement for a great-great-granddaughter of slaves. Simmons began her journey to Smith on a cotton farm in Grapcland, Texas, where her parents were sharecroppers. Later, they moved to an impoverished section of Houston where her father worked in a factory and mother scrubbed floors for white Families.

When asked how such humble beginnings led to a career at the top of academia, Simmons answers, "I had a remarkable mother. She would sometimes take me with her to work when I was a little girl and 1 vividly remember how good she was at what she did. She was very demanding in terms of her own work. 'Do it well, do it thoroughly, whatever you do,' she'd say." Simmons' mother continues to influence her work, even as president of Smith College. "The Smith Board of Trustees thinks I'm trying to live up to the standards they set for me and that's okay," she says. However, Simmons has a higher standard: "Every day I'm here, I try to be the kind of person my mother wanted me to be."

2) Practice persistence. Whether in business or life, persistence is the life-force which leads to survival and success. Too many people are guilty of premature defeat. When they experience a setback or emotional blow, they give up. Rather than remain faithful to their dreams and aspirations, they cheaply resign to fate. Instead of looking at what remains, they focus bitterly on what they lost. In doing so, they often become cynical and leave latent talents undeveloped. However, victory and satisfaction belong to those who do not choose the path of least resistance when faced with major life challenges.

Consider the glowing example of Sarah Reinertsen, who was born with only part of her left leg. This part had to be removed to the hip when she was seven years old. In spite of being an amputee, Reinertsen was determined to pursue her interest in athletics. When she was 12 years old, Reinertsen began working long, hard hours with her track and field coach. Together they developed a new way for an above-the-knee amputee to run much faster. At that point, most above-the-knee amputee runners ran by hopping twice on their good leg, then kicking their artificial leg forward. Reinertsen was the first to use the step-over-step method, the same way people with two legs run, in competitions. Today, Reincrtsen is the fastest female above-the-knee amputee runner in the world. Because she was faithful to herself, she holds world records in the 100and 200-meter runs.

3) Support others when they are down. Tom Peters, one of the country's best-known management consultants, strongly recommends this practice. Reaching out to individuals facing personal or professional problems greatly improves your chances of success. "Your emotional or professional assistance will not only help him/her regain his[/her] balance, but he[/she] will also never forget you were there when he[/she] needed you," Peters says. "When you stand by someone who is down on his[/her] luck, you'll gain respect as a leader, become a tower of strength.... win the person's friendship, probably for life,...and enjoy higher levels of teamwork and respect from your colleagues."