The Pyramid of Success 

1. Industriousness 

"There is no substitute for work. Worthwhile results come from hard work and careful planning."

This means hard work. For everything you do, you must show hard work. When you start to work, the manager always wants to see that you're a hard worker. You care about your job that you will get everything done without hesitation. There would be no slacking off or distractions. Before anything, you must have a plan. How you're going to get where you want to be and how you are going to accomplish it. Every dream of yours requires dedication and hard work. You have to not fall behind in school and make sure you keep up with all your classes. Everything will be stressful but at the end it's going to be worth it. Some people out there probably look back at when they were in school and tell themselves, "I wish I wouldn't have slacked off in high school, I could be where all my friends are in life." Work hard because at the end of the day it's going to pay off. When you are sitting in your dream car, living in your dream house, and being in the dream job you've always wanted, that's when you know your hard work paid off. You are going to be happy with the success you have done throughout the years and still more to come. 

2. Enthusiasm 

"It is the engine that powers all blocks of the Pyramid. It is why I chose Industriousness and Enthusiasm as the cornerstones of my Pyramid of Success. It is where everything begins."

 

Enthusiasm is excitement with inspiration, motivation, and a pinch of creativity. I believe having enthusiasm is what helps you stay focused and accomplish the goals that you have. If you don't have enthusiasm then you won't be motivated to go out and accomplish something. Tell yourself everyday that you can do it and you will be able to do it. You can be the most successful person ever if you go out and try. If you tell yourself you're going to get a job but never go out and look for one, then that's not having enthusiasm. You aren't motivated to do what you say you are going to do. No matter what people tell you, follow your heart. Do what you believe is the right thing to do. Believe in yourself and nothing can possibly go wrong. If you start to give up on your dreams and not what to do anything, then that's a different story. Have the creativity to go out and do a change in the world. Don't be afraid to get something done. If you always carry that enthusiasm with you then you can do anything in the world. If at first you don't succeed, try again. It's never good to lose hope because then nothing will get done. Keep your enthusiasm high and you will get things done. 

3. Friendship 
"Comes from mutual esteem, respect and devotion. Like marriage it must not be taken for granted but requires a joint effort." 

I believe friendship is the ability to keep a conversation with someone. You guys just talk about a whole bunch of things. You feel this click like it was meant for you guys to meet. Having friends is for you to have company and go out with them and just have fun. You can go to the movies, the park, on adventures etc. Friends don't come all the time. In my opinion, there are two types of friends. The first one are the people that help you. The ones that are always there for you when you need them, they'll give you a shoulder to cry on etc. They also never switch up on you. At times you guys may have disagreements but you know you guys are always going to be there for each other no matter what. The second type of friends are the ones that are temporary. These "friends" are the ones you're always there for but when you need them, there no where around. These are the ones that if you guys get into a fight, they go tell people about it. They eventually start talking bad about you behind your back but when they see you it's like nothing happened. Like the quote above says "Like marriage it must not be taken for granted but requires a joint effort."  The people that come into your life can be a blessing or a lesson. You must not take your friendships for granted because at the end of the day, that one person who now isn't your friend, you're going to wish she/he never left. It's good to either have a group of friends or just 1-3 friends. I personally like only 1-3 friends because I know they're the one I can count on the most. They've been there for me when no one else was and I appreciate them for it. I always try my best when it comes to making them feel better because I want them to know I'm always going to be there for them. 

4. Loyalty
"To yourself and to all those depending on you. Keep your self-respect."

Loyalty means: honesty; trustworthiness; reliability. Loyalty is the fact that people are able to trust you and be honest. You need to have loyalty when it comes to friendship, marriages, relationships, your job etc. That will show people that you respect them enough to tell them everything. Both loyalty and honesty go together because it's two of the most important things someone looks for in a person.  If someone isn't being honest with you then there's a chance they won't be loyal to you as well. If you find someone that does both of these, then they're good people. They won't lie to you or do something to put your friendship in danger. They're the friends that are going to be there for you when other people aren't. There's a quote that says "It's not about who is loyal to your face, It's about who stays real behind your back." This quote has much meaning because it makes you think about your friends. You can be so friendly and honest with a person either with them or away from them, but are they doing the same for you? Your friends can be so nice to you when they're with you but as soon as they're with someone else, they start saying bad things about you. For me, I honestly befriend people if they messed with my loyalty because I showed them that I care and I was going to be there for them and they just threw it in the trash. They let their anger or jealousy get the better of them and did what they thought was right. People honestly don't like when their loyalty is broken because they show you they care and you show them that you don't. When it comes to being loyal, be it everyday 24/7. In any situation you are in, always remember to be loyal and honest. 

5. Cooperation 
"With all levels of your co-workers. Listen if you want to be heard. Be interested in finding the best way, not in having your own way."

 

Cooperation means working together. Working together means getting things done. Cooperation works when you are working on a group project and you do your share of the work. You don't leave your group members to do all the work for you. Everyone has to do the equal amount of work. If you see someone is struggling with an answer, help them research and find it. You don't leave your team members behind because you guys are all working together to get what you have to get done. Cooperation can also be with your family or your job. You must cooperate with your family to get the chores done or help cook dinner faster. If you work as a nurse, you must learn to cooperate with the rest of your team to make sure the patient is in good hands. Listen to what they have to say and get ideas and then when it's your turn, they will do the same. Let's say your going up against another team. You have one hour to build something creative out of Legos. If your team doesn't know how to cooperate with each other to get the job done, there is a likely that you guys will lose. The other team is talking out what they have to do and what piece goes where, while your team is standing around disagreeing with each other. If you put in the cooperation that they need, then nothing can possibly go wrong. 

6. Ambition
(For noble goals)

Ambition is a feeling or a desire to achieve a goal. Usually that goal revolves around a person’s definition of success or greatness.  We are most likely to succeed when ambition is focused on noble and worthy purposes and outcomes rather than on goals set out of selfishness. If our ambition is to be highly publicized, receive a lot of recognition, attain a position of power or prestige, or make a lot of money. Ambition, when properly focused, can be a tremendous asset, but if it is out of focus, it can be a fatal flaw for any team. If you don't have ambition then you won't be able to achieve the goals that you want. You must be focused enough to want to accomplish the goals that you have. You must tell yourself everyday that you can do it so you don't lose any hope. You know you can accomplish it without having to try. If you fail one time you don't give up. You get right back up and try again because giving up isn't an option. Having ambition will let you become what you want in life. You won't let people's negative vibes get to you because you know you can do it no matter how many people say you can't. Keep your head high and thoughts positive and I promise you, nothing will go wrong. 

7. Self-control
"Practice self-discipline and keep emotions under control. Good judgement and common sense are essential." 

Self-control, regardless of what we are doing, whether it involves a physical act or a mental decision, must be maintained to produce desirable results. If emotion takes over, reason usually flies out the window and the acts or decisions are not likely to be as productive as they should be. This is not only true on the basketball court or in the workplace, but in the home as well. Even if it is disciplining your children, and our children cry out for and need discipline, it must be done with reason to be effective. If we lose reason in our discipline of our children, it will not be effective. You cannot antagonize and be a positive influence, and you will antagonize when you discipline through emotion. Remember that discipline is not to punish, but it’s to correct, to improve, to prevent, to help, so we must maintain our self-control at all times if we are going to function anywhere near our own particular level of competence, whatever that might be. Self-control is self-discipline. Self- control is also choosing to do what is right when you feel like doing wrong. If someone is pressuring you into smoking or drinking, don't give in to the pressure. Stand up for yourself and tell them no. Show confidence and walk out of the house or party that you are in. If your mom is screaming at you, don't raise your voice back at her. Take deep breaths and listen to what she has to say. If you go yelling at her then it won't end well. You can end up having your phone taken away or have your going out privileges taken away as well. 

8. Alertness
"Be observing constantly. Stay open-minded. Be eager to learn and improve." 

Alertness is being aware of your surroundings. This applies to school work, education, driving etc. If you're not alert on what's going on, you don't know what can happen. When you typically think of being alert, goal setting does not come into play. We need to stay alert while driving, be aware of our surroundings when we go from place to place, and work to remain focused and sometimes awake doing everyday tasks. Sometimes we work through our daily tasks without even thinking about them. We go to class, say hi as a formality to people we may not really know and finish our days not really thinking about whether we moved closer to any goal we had set for ourselves. In our hectic, busy and cell-phone filled lives, we may feel as if we are always alert because we are always on the go and connected to everyone and everything. Rather, the opposite is true. With our heads buried behind computer screens and phones, we may miss half the people that cross our paths. We may miss beautiful scenery or the opportunity for an important face to face conversation with a loved one or even someone new. It is often difficult to quiet our minds and to remain still, but this is when the most alertness occurs. We become completely present with our thoughts, where their taking us and what we want from our lives. Through quiet observations of ourselves and others, we become increasingly alert and sensitive to other’s needs as well as our own.

9. Initiative 
"Cultivate the ability to make decisions and think alone. Do not be afraid of failure, but learn from it."

Initiative means having the courage to take action and make decisions. Keep in mind that we all are going to fail at times. You must understand this and not fear failure. None of us is perfect. But if you are afraid to fail you will never do the things you are capable of doing. If you have thoroughly prepared and are ready to give it everything you've got there is no shame if you fail - nothing to fear in failure. But fear of failure is what often prevents one from taking action - from using initiative.  Failure to act- lack of initiative - is often the greatest failure of all. Use good judgement based on all available information - and then use your initiative. A mistake may occur, but if it is not because of carelessness or sloppiness, poor thinking or rash judgement it must be accepted as part of your journey to success. The same is true everywhere in life. Initiative quickly but not carelessly or in a hurried manner.

10. Intentness






11. Sincerity 
"Keeps Friends" 

Sincerity is the mortar that binds together the blocks of friendship, loyalty, cooperation and team spirit. Therefore, sincerity is also necessary to reach the apex. Sincerity may not make a friend, but it will keep one. It often takes a while to be validated, but once a person knows that our word, character and steadfastness have withstood the test of life, a firm friendship can be established and maintained. When we realize that a friend can be counted on during times of need. When we see that his or her values don’t blow around in the breeze. When he or she stands up for us, we are far more appointed to stand up for him or her—and vice versa. Be the person that knows how to keep friends and help them out with any problems not the ones that leave them when they need you the most. Show that you are always going to be there for them no matter what problems you encounter. Show sincerity when they need to be comforted from a breakup or family loss. Don't lie to them and show they can trust you. 

12. Adaptability (to any situation)

Adaptability is being able to adjust to any situation at any given time. In life, we all know that we can only be sure of a few things, specifically death and taxes. We can also count on change. We need to recognize change, grow with it and learn from it. Since change is inevitable, people who are inflexible, bullheaded or stubborn will never make it to the apex of the Pyramid. If we want to succeed, we must readily adapt to circumstances as they unfold—this includes both what we cannot change and what will take some time to change. If we fail to adapt, we fail to move forward.  

13. Condition 
"Mental-Moral-Physical. Rest, exercise and diet must be considered. Moderation must be practiced. Dissipation must be eliminated."

To condition you must prepare mentally and show moral restraint. So it is with us – we have to nourish our bodies, our minds, and our souls to be at the top of our game. On the physical side, it’s a blend of proper rest with a regular exercise regimen and a healthy diet. On the mental side, seek to learn at least one new thing every day. Also learn how to be mentally tough so you can withstand the inevitable ups and downs. Your condition depended on two things – how hard you work and how well you behaved when living in the outside world. You must condition into a new school or new job and do the things you need to do. If hard things come your way you must not give up. Keep on pushing through and you will make it far enough. 

14. Skill

"A knowledge of and the ability to properly and quickly execute the fundamentals. Be prepared and cover every detail."

To have skill it means you are good at a certain thing. Whether it's a game, or reading, or learning, you can do it no matter what. Skill is used in many things today in life as we know it. If you want to go out for a sport, you need to have some skill or experience for that particular sport. In school, you must have the skill to learn. The skill to always want to do your homework and help out the rest of your classmates no matter what. There's this quote by Will Smith and it states, "Talent you have naturally. Skill is only developed by hours and hours and hours of beating on your craft." This is saying that it takes a while for someone to have and get the skill that they want. Everyone has a talent. You may not know it but soon you will find it and embrace it. On the other hand, skill is something you must work hard to get. It takes time and practice for people that play sports to get the skill they need to play the game correctly. If you work hard enough, then the skill will come to you. Don't give up no matter how many times you failed at doing it. 

15. Team Spirit

"A genuine consideration for others. An eagerness to sacrifice personal interests of glory for the welfare of all." 

Team spirit is the ability to cooperate and work well with others. You show each other that they can do it no matter what. You give supportive advice and help them succeed throughout anything. You have consideration for other people and don't let them give up. If they need help you are with them through it all and making sure they get it no matter what. The thought of being in a sport and having your team by your side cheering you on is the best thing in the world. This can apply to schoolwork and doing your job as well. In school, your friends will be there for you to make sure you past the test you need. They will give you a shoulder to cry on and remind you that you're not alone. In your job, your co-workers can help you on how to better your assignments or whatever it is your doing. In life, there are going to be people that want to see you fail but you shouldn't let it get to you. As long as you have those few friends that are going to be cheering you through all the good and the bad are the people that you want in your life. The ones that work well with you and help each other succeed. 

16. Honesty (in thought and in action)

"Honesty is the best action" -Ben Franklin 

Honesty mean telling the truth. Being true to yourself and others. When you have honesty then you tell the truth no matter how in trouble you might get. If you do something wrong and try to cover up for it, you will get caught eventually. It may not happen right away but it will. Who knows, the longer you keep in a secret the more trouble you might be in. I know for a fact that my if I don't tell the truth right away, I can get into more trouble than I already will be in. Being honest means people are able to count on you to tell the truth even if it's protecting a friend. When you go to court, they have you say an oath to make sure you tell the truth and nothing but the truth. If you lie for a friend that did something wrong, you both can end up getting into serious trouble. 1) for knowing and not saying anything about it and 2) for lying when an adult asked you to give your input on what happened. I always tell myself to always tell the truth to not risk the consequences later on when my mom ends up finding out no matter what. I'd rather deal with the consequences of not going out or getting my phone taken away rather than letting the guilt eat me out alive throughout the years. Tell the truth and avoid getting in trouble later on. 

17. Resourcefulness (proper judgement) 
"Make the most out of what you have"

Resourcefulness means the ability to find quick and clever ways to overcome difficulties. This means you are able to get over the bumpy roads you encounter throughout your life. You are able to enjoy what you have even if it's not what you expect. You make the most of what you have. You find ways that will make you happy no matter what. For example, I will make sure someone is happy even if at the time I'm not. It's just me but I love seeing someone else other than me with a smile on their face. It makes me happy that I'm able to help people and do the right thing without being asked because I know I would like for someone to do the same thing for me. Be motivated to make the best of what you can because things happen for a reason. If there is something good that happens, take the chance because it might not happen again. Take all the opportunities that you get and go with them. Who knows maybe it will be the thing you have always been looking for. So make the best of what you have because you only live once and enjoy life as it is. 

18. Poise
"Just being yourself. Being ease in any situation"

"The key to winning is poise under stress. " This quote has meaning because it challenges you to stay calm even in hard situations. If you be yourself then you're already winning no matter what. Being under stress people tend to lose their minds and become someone they aren't. When I'm under stress I can't concentrate anymore and tend to give up. I still haven't learned how to control myself but now I do. Poise will help me calm myself down and be ease. I will be myself because being yourself will help you win in life. If you change and become someone that you aren't then you will be too busy focusing on that rather than yourself. You must learn how to come with ease in any situation and not make things harder on yourself. You have to stay calm and breathe and be yourself. Don't change who you are for anybody. Be yourself and they will like you for who you are and not who you want to be. If someone doesn't like who you are then it's because they want to be like you and just can't. Don't change, just be calm; ease no matter what. 

19. Confidence
"Thorough preparation breeds confidence"

  

When you have confidence, you are never doubting yourself for what you do. When always keep your head up and keep the positive thoughts in your mind. You won't let negative things get to you because you know you are able to make it no matter what. You trust yourself in everything you do whether it's presenting or turning in an assignment. For example, I must work on my confidence for today at 6:30 pm. I will be presenting our IDP in front of many important people and I'm so nervous. I must keep in mind that I can do it and my group and I are going to do great on the presentation. I will keep my head high and breathe before and during everything. Everyone must have confidence because if not, that will hold them back. They will be too focused on the "I can't do it" and not on the "I can do it." If you know the things you are going to say and have everything memorized, then it shouldn't be a problem for you. Don't panic because it will bring you down. Have the confidence you had once you started the project to the ending of everything. If you keep it high and not let negative things get in your head, then nothing will be the matter anymore. 

20. Reliability (creates respect)

Reliability is being able to count on someone and have their full trust. Someone who is trustworthy of what you say or do. One way reliability comes in handy is when doing a school project. For example, I had to rely on my team members for IDP to get all their slides done and show up for the showcase. I also had to rely on them to show up for our call to action presentation at Huntington Park City Hall. When you rely on someone, you show them that they can trust you no matter what. You are there to keep your word on the things you say. If you say you're going to show up for the presentation, then show up to it. Don't lie to not hurt someone's feelings. I want to be someone's friend if I see they are reliable and I can trust them. If someone has shown me many times that they aren't trustworthy at all, I have to let them go. I can't trust someone that doesn't keep their word. People that you can rely on would be your family. I have grown to realize that you don't quite have friends in your life. You have people that you know and talk to but that's it. You can have one or two best friends, the rest are just people you talk to. The ones you talk to won't be reliable. You can call them your "best friend" but who knows if they're as trustworthy. My family and my two best friends have always been there for me. I can trust them no matter what. On the other hand, the people I talk to I can rely on them but not all the time. I know they do things behind my back or make up fake excuses to not hang out with me. Depend on the people that are trustworthy and keep your trust, not the ones that play around with your trust and prove to you they can't be trusted. 


21. Fight (determined effort)

Fight is a determined effort to do the very best we can do. It's digging in, gritting our teeth, standing our ground. When we have fight, we are always ready to respond. We are quick but we don't hurry. We make fewer mistakes because we have the level of our intensity under control. A player with fight has a contained fire burning in his or her belly. This emerges as focused passion. Players with fight never lose a game, they just run out of time. I always want to win, but I never fight with an opponent. My fight is within me. It is the struggle to be the best I can be at whatever I do. There is no such thing as losing when we've made the effort to do the best we can. No matter what, you are a winner no. As long as you know you went out and did the best you can, you already won. No everyone in life is going to win and not everyone is going to lose. If you do lose, don't give up. Use the mistakes you made and learn from them. If we use our fight and determination to do our best, success will take care of itself. 

22. Competitive Greatness
"Be at your best when your best is needed. Enjoyment of a difficult challenge"

True competitive greatness is a learned trait that has been taught or discovered by anyone who has ever achieved greatness. To be great at anything in life including athletics, you need to have the skills, passion, and desire. To be truly great and achieve competitive greatness, you need more than this. You have to have that internal motivation to be your driving force. Sure you can become great utilizing external motivators, but if you can’t motivate yourself from within, and that is not the true, driving force that makes you tick; then I don’t believe you can ever achieve true competitive greatness. 

The first step towards competitive greatness comes from being competitive. Children in today’s society are taught that there are no winners and losers in sports; that just being involved makes everyone a winner. I agree to a certain point, everyone involved is a winner because they are putting a great effort into their sport; however, these children know better. They know whether or not they won or if their team won, so why not just tell them. Everyone can celebrate the fact that they have participated and gave their best effort, but the earlier these children learn the importance of competition in the world, the better off they will be.

23. Integrity (purity of intention)

You could say that integrity is always doing the right thing, even when no one is looking, and even when the choice isn't easy. Or, you might see integrity as staying true to yourself and your word, even when you're faced with serious consequences for the choices that you're making. When we have integrity, we're whole and in perfect condition, and we're not compromised by awkward "inconsistencies." When we live our lives with integrity, it means that we're always honest, and we let our actions speak for who we are and what we believe in. Integrity is a choice we make, and it's a choice we must keep making, every moment of our lives. Living a life of integrity means that we never have to spend time or energy questioning ourselves. When we listen to our hearts and do the right thing, life becomes simple. Our life, and our actions, are open for everyone to see, and we don't have to worry about hiding anything.

24. Faith (through prayer)
Believe and achieve. Positive belief.

When you have faith, you believe that something will go as planned. You keep your head up and go on with life. When you have faith, you always have hope and confidence. You have to believe that you will get things done when you need it. You have faith that you're going to do good on the test you took or that you're going to get that dream job of yours. You can say a little prayer, if you believe in the lord, and believe that he can make things happen for you. Having faith comes with believing in yourself first. If you don't believe in yourself, then you won't have faith in the things you do. Keep your head high and don't let those goal buster come into your life. Kick them out because you know that you're going to be successful in the future. All of your hard is going to pay off. Believe in the things you do, because dreams do come true if you have a little faith in yourself. 

25. Patience (good things take time)

When you have patience it means you wait for your actions to come into place. Waiting patiently can build up anxiety because you just want to know the answer really quick. If you have the patience to wait, then good things will come. Good things come for those who wait. You can do so many good things in your life, but you're not going to get rewarded right at that moment. It will all take time. In time, good things will come to you for all the CTR experiences you had while growing up. If you don't have patience, then nothing will come into place. For example, when you apply for your dream college. You send in an application to attend the college you've wanted since you were smaller. Days, weeks, and months pass by and you still haven't got an email back. You get so impatient that you apply for the second college you wanted and get accepted in about a month from sending in the application. Months later, you received an email from your dream college saying you got in but you already enrolled in the classes for the upcoming year in the second college. Since you didn't have patience to wait for the email back, you now have to attend another college for a whole year until the next year to attend in the college of your dreams. Good things come for those who wait. There's nothing wrong with having a back up plan, but there's also nothing wrong with waiting. Patience is the key to success.

Final Reflection:

  The Pyramid of success has helped me in many ways. I keep each and every one of the 25 blocks with me to remind myself how to be successful in life. Industriousness helps me because I know not to turn in any late work. I work hard to get my assignments done on time or come to tutoring when I need it. I write my assignments down in my planner or my phone to make sure I get it done on time. Enthusiasm has helped me because I have it when it comes to working on classwork or projects. I walk in all my classes with my head high and just eager to start learning something new. Friendship has helped me because I create nothing but friendship. In my opinion, I am the nicest person anyone can meet. I will always be there for you no matter what but some people just don't understand that. I keep it in my mind that I don't want enemies. I want people that will do the things I do for them and appreciate it no matter what. I'm honestly a loyal person. I won't be your friend and then talk bad about you behind your back. I will stay true to anything and get the things done when I need to. I show cooperation by listening to the teacher and coping with what she is telling me. If she needs me to solve a problem myself to show her I know how to do it then I will. I don't need to start problems or give attitude to the teacher. All it takes is cooperation. I have ambition for my goals. If I write down a goal(s), I will do my best to accomplish it. I want nothing but to achieve the goals I have written down for myself. Once I do that, my life will be set. I'm honest when it comes to anything. I will tell the truth no matter what even if I know I will get in trouble for it because I shouldn't have done something bad in the first place. I can go on and on with the rest  of the blocks but then I will write an entire book. These 25 blocks have helped me become a better person, not just in school, but outside of school too. I get done with the things I need to and stay true to myself and others. I continue to keep faith and confidence in school so that my grades will go up and show my Aunt that I can do it. In conclusion, I will continue to keep these blocks with me wherever I go. I will remind myself to keep poise and keep my head high no matter where.