Drive Essay

Lauren Safford

Mrs. Heisler

AP English III, Period F

9 February 2015        

Drive

In today's society, success and wealth are greatly valued. People are constantly judged by how well they dress, what occupation they have, who they are married to, and essentially how much money they make. In order to become successful and wealthy, people must first work hard and be driven to accomplish all that they want. This idea of being motivated to achieve goals is ingrained in the brains of many children considering several parents teach their children right from wrong by using a reward system. For example, if a child performs a task correctly, she is rewarded with a piece of candy or some sort of toy to show what good behavior is. This included incentive forces the child to continually perform the task correctly because of the goal she is aiming for. This establishes a motivation and drive to succeed within the young person that only continues to grow as he or she becomes older. Being a driven, or highly motivated person is one of the most important qualities one can possess considering it is difficult to achieve success without it.

But what exactly does it mean to be driven? The word “drive,” originates from the Old English word drīfan, the Old High German word trīban, and the Old Dutch word drijven (Harper). Drifan means to drive, force, hunt, pursue, or rush against, which directly correlates with the modern day meaning of having the drive to achieve one’s aspirations. According to Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, to be driven is to be very determined to succeed (“Driven”). For driven high school students, this means late nights of studying in order to receive the grades necessary for college entrance. For adults, this may mean early mornings of getting up and going to work in hopes of making enough money to support a family. To be driven is to have a set purpose in mind and to give everything to achieve it. This purpose is often referred to as a “driving force” that prompts someone to fight for a cause he or she is passionate about. Driven people are the ones that never give up on fighting for a cause or working towards a goal until some change is made or the goal is achieved.

Bill Gates is an admirable individual whose drive to succeed took him far in life. By the age of thirteen, he began to show a deep interest in computer programming, which is what he spent the majority of his time doing with a good friend Paul Allen. By the age of fifteen, he and Allen were ready to start their own company, but Gates’ parents refused and made him go through school first. His drive to succeed was most prominently seen as he contacted a company called Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS) to tell them he could create a program to run their Altair computer. Even though he was an inexperienced Harvard student, and had only worked on basic programs at that point in his life, he was determined to create this program and spent the next two months working on it with Paul Allen. After the success of this program, Gates dropped out of Harvard to work for MITS with Allen (“Bill Gates Biography”). His driven attitude for success from the beginning and persistence in forcing MITS to allow him to create that program is what ultimately helped him become one of the most successful people in the world today.

Personally, I consider myself a driven person since I work hard at everything I do, especially in school. At this point in my life, the one achievement I have on my mind, like many other high school students, is to be accepted into a prestigious university. College is the driving force that causes me to work hard and always put forth my best effort. Both of my parents are also key examples of driven people who have influenced my views on the importance of diligence and hard work. My mom consistently works multiple hours of the day while still finding time to spend with friends and family. Similarly to my mom, my dad works long and tiring days that begin at four in the morning. The driving force that motivates my parents to do well and put forth so much effort towards their jobs is the need to provide for a family and support one another. When there is an absence of any motivation or drive to succeed, personal goals and ultimate success can never be met.

Many people become too driven and only focus intently on that one goal they have set in mind. This “tunnel vision” causes many to miss out on important experiences in life as they whiz by ignoring everything but what will help them reach success. This is similar to how people often find themselves driving too fast in their cars and passing by everything. This act causes them to miss the beauty in nature that they pass on a daily basis because of the intent focus on the next task that needs to be completed. So many beautiful experiences in life can be missed when one becomes too driven and anxious for the end. Being driven is not always about reaching the end, but rather the journey it takes to get there and enjoying every part of it.

Since successful people do not just end up where they are by chance, it is important to be a motivated, driven person to achieve those high standards. However, it is also important to keep in mind what is most meaningful in life and not to pass opportunities because of an anxiety to reach the end. People often find themselves being too driven and missing out on large stepping stones in life, just as humans miss out on the beauty found in nature when they drive too purposefully to the next activity. People like Bill Gates and my parents are all ambitious people that have achieved their own version of success with the help of one important quality: the drive to succeed. Being driven is one of the most important qualities one can possess because it brings about success and helps people meet goals in the future.

Works Cited

"Bill Gates Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, 2015. Web. 05 Feb. 2015.

"Driven." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster Incorporated, 2015. Web. 05 Feb. 2015.

Harper, Douglas. "Drive." Online Etymology Dictionary. N.p., 2001-2014. Web. 05 Feb. 2015.