Feeling on top of the world is not only great, but having that positive vibe sets you up to be more productive. Knowing that you have got to where you are today based on your hard and smart work ethics provides satisfaction and fulfillment!
Some people use that feeling to enable others to follow suit. One of my students, who I have had the pleasure to teach since 2022 is Abel Ferreira.
He has coached Palmeiras football club for over three years while collectively bringing nine trophies to the club, an almighty task which very few managers can attest to. His background as a Portuguese football star, who ended his professional career after a knee injury is an interesting one because helping young players reach their full potential has been his passion ever since as a manager (coach/trainer).
Abel came to me because he firmly believes in education and aspiring to become a better person. His passion for life knows no bounds. A family man with a beautiful wife and children. Always trying his hardest to be fair with others, in the kindest possible way. He comes from a simple upbringing though his parents instilled just values and provided the incentive to develop himself by studying hard and appreciating everything life has to offer.
He isn’t perfect, but then who is. However, he understands life’s passage and what it takes to make the most of one’s fortunes. He didn’t get to where he is today by simply sitting back and expecting everything to fall into his lap. Yes, he was lucky, but then there are two types of luck. One that is pure chance, and the other that you work towards. If you keep trying, pushing yourself to be successful, then when it happens and success is achieved you can’t call it conventional pure chance luck!
You see, I personally believe feeling great is something we work on. It doesn’t just happen; it requires determination and effort to aspire to something more than what we are today unless we have already reached the pinnacle of greatness. In my book, Abel deserves everything he has accomplished, but he is aware that life is a journey and it takes time to carve into the perfect utopia.
Never-never land will come later. We have to make our existence work for us. Even when everything is right, negativity will catch up. It always does! We have to accept it, and keep chiseling our kingdom the best way we know how.
As a final note, let’s open up to one of Sir William Shakespeare’s quotes, “A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool.”
Take care!
Prof. Carl Boniface
Vocabulary builder:
Background (adj) = contextual, related, circumstantial, however in the context of the article it refers to (n) Abel’s upbringing, i.e., his education and training and circumstances as a football star.
Knows no bounds (idiom) = to have no limit. His generosity knows no bounds.
Fortunes (n) = lucks, chances, riches, affluences, prosperities, treasures, wealth, opulence, (ant) poverties, misfortunes
Never-never land (n) = utopia, ideal, paradise, heaven, Shangri-La, dreamland, seventh heaven
A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool. (quote) = Only a fool would think himself wise enough, or consider himself a wise man, whereas a wise man thinks himself as a fool because he understands the concept that there is always more to know and more to learn.
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