Want and Reason by Shannon

Want and Reason by Shannon - December 2018 Scholarship Essay

Nobel prize winners are paragons of their craft. Whether it be through intellectual or humanitarian means, there are qualities among all of them that are synonymous with “good.” All winners are obviously dedicated and hardworking, but beyond even that, there is something that drives them, something that makes them stand out among those who are also hardworking. If those were the only parameters for a prize winner, then every high school senior struggling to graduate with honors, would be given the prize as well. No, prize winners have something more. There is practicality, and motivation. Prize winners know what they want, and want it to happen, but are always within reason to make sure it does.

Practicality is knowing when it is too much. Prize winners can be dreamers, believers of the impossible, or something of the sort, but they cannot deviate so far from reality that what they want to accomplish is simply too impossible. They do not want the mundane, either, but rather find a happy medium that can get things done, and allow the prize winner to accomplish their goals in both a timely and efficient manner. Nobel prize winner Marie Curie conducted her research, not trying to instigate a scientific breakthrough, but to simply study her craft, and ended up advancing science in the process. This practicality of simply studying a craft instead of seeking out the impossible, is what leads to change. This is an attribute that is very intuitive to every prize winner, is knowing not only when to stop, but how to go about doing things in the first place.

Motivation is another characteristic that drives prize winners to be paragons of their fields. It is no surprise that drive and want are feelings that get the gears grinding, and allow prize winners to accomplish what needs to be done. Without motivation, prize winners never would have even fathom the ideas that lead them to receiving their prizes, and ultimately change the world for the better. Motivation is at the core of every solution to a problem, of every fantastic written work, and beautifully composed opera or suite. Motivation is what cultivates the very best productivity within not only prize winners, but everyone in general. Motivation allows a person to create the very best output they can, and it is not because they are forced to, but because they want to. They want to do something, and it can be as simple as getting out of bed, or complex as leading the civil rights movement. It is all about perspective, and motivation is key to change.

Nobel prize winners are experts in their respective fields. They know how to make things happen through hard work, and dedication. But there is also inner workings to every winner that drive them to achieve their goals. Practicality, which is knowing when a scope of an issue is too big, and so is a solution, and being reasonable in solving the solution. Motivation, which allows one to make change happen, not through being forced to, but wanting to. These are traits that are necessary for a prize winner to have, in order to change the world.