Success is a very crucial factor in life that everybody would long for despite the struggle involved, not forgetting the quote saying that the road to success is just similar to the path to failure. Stories from different successful individuals, 95% would report how much they have struggled to get where they are. The Pact is a fascinating story about three boys, who are now doctors, who fought with life from childhood to reach where they are currently (Davis, Jenkins, & Hunt, 2002). Sam, Rameck, and George are three African Americans, who had lived in poverty. In the first chapter of the book, George narrates his early life and the struggle they went through, clearly stating how started developing his affinity for dentistry. He lived in Newark, New Jersey, where dreams were never supported. The first ten chapters illustrate the real struggle fueled by challenges that needed to be overcome through a series of motivational factors up to the point where the boys have become successful. Narrowing down the story to a specific character, George, it is satisfying to mention the factors responsible for his success as a role model, mentor, institutional support, personal traits such as his optimistic nature.

The role model is a fundamental factor that assisted George in meeting his long-term dreams that enabled him to be successful in life. A role model refers to any person with values that one wishes to have. To George, his role model was the dentist, who even tried to show him a bit of tool used in the profession. “What’s that for?” George disturbed the dentist with questions about every working tool he held at a particular time. The dentist did not hesitate to show him whatever he wanted to know and afterward, George developed a strong affinity for the dentistry. Even though George struggled so much too rich his goals, the mark left in his heart by the dentist did not fade away and acted as a motivational factor every day. His curiosity made him asked many questions concerning the dentistry profession, which he ended up developing a passion despite his young age. From that day, the boy had ever wanted to be a dentist, and become like the dentist who treated him. Arguably, he was so keen on realizing the positive aspects of people, which he would later use as a drive towards achieving his dreams.

Another example of factors that contributed to George’s was his mentors, who were his mother and his third-grade teacher Viola Johnson. A mentor is someone who continually motivates you to continue working towards your dreams regardless of the challenges you are facing. George, despite all the life problems they were facing during childhood, always received encouragements from his mother, which significantly contributed to his success. His father and mother divorced when he was very young, and this was another challenge altogether. The mother did not have a stable cash flow, a condition which proved to be problematic when it came to putting food on the table. However, the mother kept on reminding her son of his potential and dreams. John also loved school, and this is where he met his second mentor after his mother, teacher Johnson, who also treated her students as a mother and motivated them to work hard. “Everybody has a chance to go to College,” Jonson would remind her students quite often.

On the other hand, institutional support was another vital factor that contributed to George’s success. Institutional support refers to any contributions from the schools, society, and cultural values that contribute towards meeting specific goals. For George, being an African-American was a motivational factor. Historically, Negros were usually associated with negative aspects of life such as poverty, gangster, and vulgar. Growing with these perceptions, George had to convince the society that all these were just misconceptions. In his struggle to prove these people wrong came to his success. George received enough support from his teachers such as madam Jonson and this also enabled him to realize his dreams. Were it not for the school, George would not have met her mentor, madam Jonson. Therefore, it is correct to classify his love for schools and the benefits he got from it as institutional support towards his success.

Furthermore, optimism is another example of personal characteristics factors that enables him to meet his career goals. He tried to achieve whatever he developed an interest in however how hard it seemed to be. The fact that George loved school shows his optimistic character, fueled with hard work. His remark from the text “Man, I think I want to do this. Why don’t we go ahead and do this together?” shows how he was optimistic in becoming successful in life. In short, George wanted to explore everything that would bring success and also encouraged his friends to stay focused.

Ultimately, it is important to note the role played by society as a whole in realizing the hidden potential among young individuals. The younger generation has the possibility that only requires a starting force that would help them know that dreams are very valid and can be achieved with determination and hard work. For George, Sam, and Rameck, the society, in the form of mentorships, role models, institutional support and other personal characters such as optimism and hard work, played a significant role in ensuring a full realization of the dreams.

Reference

Davis, S., Jenkins, G., & Hunt, R. (2002). The Pact: Three Young Men Make a Promise and Fulfill a Dream. New York, NY: Berkley Publishing Group.