Last week (February 10, 2015), I attended the devotional given by David Hart. Hart talked about personal excellence, known to the ancient Greeks by the term "arete." Specifically, he said that while everyone should strive to be all that they can be, each person's arete is unique and specific to that person. Therefore, each person has a sacred obligation to be their own personal best, not someone else' best. I feel like this concept is incredibly relevant to choosing a career or major. What if Beethoven would have decided he should become a mathematician because that's what someone told him would be the most practical? What if Galileo, Leonardo da Vinci, William Shakespeare, Isaac Newton, Marie Currie, Albert Einstein, Walt Disney, or any influential person of any kind had decided not to explore the areas they were clearly made for? Knowing that my talents and life callings are specific to me helps me to refrain from comparing myself to others as I endeavor to determine what choices I should make for my life. I feel certain this idea would also help anyone who was trying to choose a career or major.
Hart lists steps to achieving excellence. First, he said one should be engaged in their present task, whatever it may be. Second, he said one should seek out opportunities for engagement, and try to become aware of the times they find themselves experiencing what he termed "flow," which one feels when doing something that excites them in ways pertaining to their own personal excellence. Third, he said one should increase their self awareness by taking time away from all forms of technology. These times of absence, or solitude, he says, helps a person to think for his or herself, and therefore understand their true self. Fourth, he said one should search for awe in everything -- from the most magnificent of God's creations to the simplest, most ordinary aspects of life. Fifth, he said one should be selfless, quoting Luke 9:23-24, which states that those who lose themselves will find themselves. Sixth, he said that one should be compassionate, which consists of two parts: empathy and acting. Empathy causes someone to feel caring thoughts for another person, but if that empathy is not acted upon, compassion is not complete.
I find it interesting that Hart's methods combine self reflection with selflessness. On the one hand he says we should try to seek to know ourselves, and take sufficient time and effort in this endeavor. On the other hand, he says we should focus our attention outward, and forget ourselves to an extent. The absence of either element would leave a person either completely absorbed in their own self and their own world, or so engrossed with those around them that they are unaware of who they are. The balance between the two is clearly key. I think these ideas are helpful to remember, especially when school, work, and other engagements threaten to completely absorb me. If I don't take some time for self reflection, it will all be in vain.What would be the point of frantically taking classes and doing assignments if I don't reflect on who I am and what I want so I can make proper plans to fulfill my desires? The same, of course, applies to selflessness and compassion. Without these two virtues, what is the point to life at all? I would define charity as encompassing both selflessness and compassion, and as Moroni 7:46 reads "if ye have not charity, ye are nothing."
The advice concerning this topic that I would give to others like me who are trying to choose a career or major is this: I truly think that combining all six elements described by Hart will help you to achieve the right balance in life whereby you will be able to know yourself and know how you can best serve others. This, in turn, will help you build the mindset necessary to discern what career would be best suited to you.
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