Whenever I am asked to share my ‘Master Plan’ for a happy life, I always begin with the same silly gag; first I win the Lottery. Of course in order to win the lottery, you must play the lottery and truthfully, I have never bought a lottery ticket in my life.  To be honest, I strongly believe that success is not evaluated by how much you have in your basket at the end of the day, but rather if you have the ability to fill your own basket when it is empty. Being hard working and having the ability to stand on one’s own feet is a vital skill that all men and women should have before they can consider themselves a success. Perhaps the ultimate metaphor of a successor is the Phoenix; the bird which has been annihilated but ultimately emerges triumphantly from the ashes. This skill, the skill of being resolute and emerging through one’s most trying time is the instrument of great achievers.

The Lottery, although beneficial in many ways, can sometimes be a disservice to its winner. The more careless of lottery winners have been known to quit work and over indulge themselves with lavish houses, fancy cars and exotic vacations. In many cases, this elaborate lifestyle will catch up with the winner, who risks losing it all.  Having not worked for some time and having to suddenly adjust back into near poverty can be a shock. Without the hardworking momentum they might have had from before, it can be difficult to find and sustain a job and one is too depressed to start over and earn a good life; thus the winner becomes the loser. This is where the true test of character comes in, where one must emerge from obscurity and turn failure into victory.

True success comes not in being wealthy but in having the determination to achieve even in the lowest points in one’s life. A lottery winner can save and even add to the money by investing, but that cleverness doesn’t mean that they are a champion of life. The working man is the true hero, he who worked all his life and earned his way into having a home and a family. Eventually we will all come across situations where the amount of money one has is useless and the true test will be if you have the experience and resilience to make something out of nothing. The lottery winner who had a single glorious success in his life is nothing compared to the individual who has proven himself time and time again. The title of a ‘successful person’ is not given; it is earned with hard work and determination. It is life lessons – both good and bad that begin to shape a “success story.”

One of the greatest of metaphors and inspirations is the story of the Phoenix, which survived through adversity to reach its ultimate glory. We can all learn from this example that even in our darkest hour there is a second chance to achieve success and it is only by overcoming these obstacles that we can truly say we achieves success. One person who had a Phoenix type experience was Donald Trump, whose businesses had to be filed for bankruptcy in 1991, and he himself almost has to declare personal bankruptcy. This is one of the most famous examples of a second chance, where Trump over the course of the decade worked through the crisis and ultimately reversed his misfortunes to the point where he is a regular on the Forbes 400, the annual list of richest Americans. This is a fine illustration to us all that each and every one of us has a second chance at success. It can be easy to give up when times are bad but there is always a second chance, you just have to work for it.

Great success is not something that can come easily and it cannot be taken lightly. Only those who have worked hard can truly be considered successes. Having an easy life or being given a pile of money is no way to judge someone as a success because they have not earned it with their own two hands. The true success stories are those in which the person emerges triumphantly in their darkest hour. Only with hard work, persistence and by constantly striving for success can someone truly say that they have earned success.

About Me
My name is Kevin Shirka and I am currently studying Visual Communications at Westwood College of Anaheim. I grew up in Columbus, Ohio and moved to Orange County, California upon completion of High School. I transferred to Westwood after having explored a variety of subjects at Saddleback community college including film, chemistry and accounting. I hope to have a career as an artist and graphic designer and possibly go into film making later in my life. My motivation is my family, who always tries to stand by and support me. On both sides of my family, each family member has a good heart and is a joy to be with in their own way.