Exploring the Pressure to Succeed: Shaping My Life and Professional Aspirations

This article explores how societal pressure to succeed shaped the author's life and professional aspirations. It discusses the challenges faced, the journey of self-discovery, and the importance of staying true to oneself.

Part B/Storyboard/Creative Writing
Exploring how pressure to succeed shaped my life and professional aspirations.
I was born in a very small old-fashioned society in the mainland of Greece where people are very old
fashioned judgmental and also very prejudiced and it is perhaps because of their profound faith in
their religion. I always followed the doctrines of Christianity as I was raised that way, but I was only
doing it so as not to upset my family. I felt like the black sheep trapped in an elusive environment
that made me feel as a misfit sometimes but pushed me though, to evolve more rapidly against the
ideas which the society deemed as pious and irrefutably virtuous.
“Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.”, “If it is
possible, as long as it depends on you, live in peace with everyone.” (Source: Romans 12: 17-18,
New International Version)
For example, it is prestigious for a child to grow up and be a doctor but the same person is
considered doomed or even as a rogue, if he decides to be an artist or a musician. I somehow felt
that my destiny had already chosen for me – what I shall eventually become and that I must think or
look otherwise but follow my destined path to become the light myself that I have always seek for.
Often I was judged or confronted by teachers or even neighbours about the clothes I used to wear,
my hairstyle, my piercings and my overall behaviour. I had to listen to their lectures which glorified
nothing but their own beliefs, delusions , personal conjectures and their notion of being a ‘successful
man’ – more importantly, it had nothing to do with my passion and how I felt. At the same time,
everybody reiterated the same grown up lectures about how I should grow up without any ‘slants’
or ‘bends’ which sounded to me, like without ‘experiences’. I began to doubt myself and worry
about not being able to comply with the requirements of society. I was very confused and frustrated,
I did not know if there was something wrong with me or this place was just not meant to be home.
I thrived and prayed to be relieved from my childhood shackles and finally be free - to explore the
newer, mightier and varicoloured horizons of my-self. I pursued my hobbies, my interests and my
aspirations. As a teenager I already felt that I had gone through a lot. I saw the summer work as an
opportunity to escape from the neighbourhood and experience life slightly differently. As I was
working long hours and away from home I learned how to take care of myself and others too. I knew
I was capable of doing things my own way successfully. I realised that the feeling of achieving
something I really desired would be unparalleled. So, I was working as a waiter in a popular beach
bar with a high volume of tourists and that made me interact with people constantly. Quickly I
recovered my confidence and improved my communication skills in English. Working in a business
related environment helped me understand my abilities to promote, sell and manipulate. I realised
that I became very good at what I did in a very short period of time which made me feel important
for the first time in my life.
“However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at” (Source:
Stephen Hawking)

This entire experience influenced my professional aspirations and helped me shape my decisions of
studying abroad. I finally knew what I liked doing, what I felt comfortable with and I was not
prepared to let it go. I quickly adopted a different lifestyle, something much closer to the person I
was during summer. It somehow opened my eyes and made me realise that I should stand for what I
believe, I should not be afraid to speak out my opinion and I should not let other people’s opinions
hold me back or make me feel distorted. Each individual is special, different and uniquely sculpted
and not every metal can be used in the same way.
“You know whos gonna give you everything? Yourself” (Diane Von Furstenberg)
As I look back to my childhood days, the surroundings and the way I was raised, I understand why I
often feel insecure, stressed and have a low self-esteem. The “good” model of society is always in
the back of my head, telling me what I should or should not do. Sometimes I know exactly what I
want but something in me does not let me proceed, keep me in shackles and I believe that is what
the devotees and spirituals call as ‘evil’. And there is this evil lurking in me, there is also an uncanny
force trying to unleash me. I always cared more about what ‘they’ will say rather than what I think is
right. This contributed to my introvert nature with very few friends.
The way I grew up, it slowly changed my perception of the surroundings and influenced my decision
making. My University studies have helped me understand some of the issues I had growing up and
also helped me face them and deal with them. I have learned to be patient and consistent. I now
understand that success is not determined by anyone, besides me for I believe myself more. I
decided to challenge myself so that makes me reflectively stronger and worthy and help
comprehend my salient strengths.
There is a time when it is necessary to abandon the used clothes, which already have the shape of
our body and to forget our paths, which takes us always to the same places. This is the time to
cross the river: and if we don’t dare to do it, we will have stayed, forever beneath ourselves.
(Source: Fernando Pessoa, The Book of Disquiet)
I now know for sure that it is extremely important for me to feel happy with myself and my
decisions. I learned to accept criticism and use dialog to support my opinion when disagreeing with
somebody. Communication skills, being able to work within a group, self-assurance, innovation and
promotion are only some of the skills that I have looked into and will constantly try to improve in
order to reach an acceptable level and be able to compete in my professional career. I have picked
my strong characteristics and decided to develop them to the point where I feel they allow me to be
happy as a person and as a professional.
Literature review
Making sense of feelings and emotions
Professional body context= Marketing
Approaches to journaling
 Writing through the mirror
 Gardner cycle
 Biographical approaches

Critical reflexion is the process and theory which is used to emphasize on personal assumptions in
order to make changes in the social world. It is more than just thinking and describing. It involves a
deeper look in the section of which thinking, actions and emotions are based. (Fook and Gardner,
2007) In this case, I will be describing and analysing how the pressure to succeed influenced my early
life, my decisions and professional aspirations.
References:
Reflective Writing, Kate Williams, Mary Woolliams and Jane Spiro, Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan,
2012-07-15,