Childhood experiences

[kdstrack]

The event that stood out for me was when his mother beat him for spilling the groceries. This experience made a deep impression on him, and at the time of writing the book it was still a vivid memory. Events like this compelled him to do better, to be responsible. He pushed himself to gain approval and, in this way, to overcome any feelings of inferiority.

[supernatural143]

It depends upon how a person use his or her past experiences. The hardships may cause success and failure depending upon how an individual reacts. He or she could use them as stepping stones to success. On the other hand, some people feel down from the adversities and stop striving.

[briellejee]

The event that stood out for me was when his mother beat him for spilling the groceries. This experience made a deep impression on him, and at the time of writing the book it was still a vivid memory. Events like this compelled him to do better, to be responsible. He pushed himself to gain approval and, in this way, to overcome any feelings of inferiority.

I think most children had experienced being treated that way when they were a child; I did. It was traumatic, so every time I try to do something, I do it carefully and I always seek approval. To be honest, it is not a good thing. It could lead to good things like being responsible because I think that's what parents and the author's mother intended to impart with their child. But the trauma stays, as you said, it is still a vivid memory. It's being afraid to mess up and fail people that come as consequences with this experience.

[briellejee]

It depends upon how a person use his or her past experiences. The hardships may cause success and failure depending upon how an individual reacts. He or she could use them as stepping stones to success. On the other hand, some people feel down from the adversities and stop striving.

Well, people have different personalities and levels of mental and emotional strength. What may come as easy for someone, may not be the same with another. Others may need therapy to overcome trauma, others may not. We're all different. The sooner we all realized this, the sooner people will stop comparing one another like it's a contest.

[briellejee]

Yes, I think childhood experiences played a huge part in his will to work hard and succeed. It seems that people who have had a difficult childhood, in his case, poverty but given responsibilities and opportunities like he had to watch over his sister and his uncle paid for his highschool, will work hard for their success. I think, only the fact that the school wasn't a face value for him, made him really appreciate the opportunity to study. This is, of course, no valid psychological opinion, but I think people are more committed to the things that aren't that easy to achieve. As some readers have pointed out, he would have become someone who would dwell in his self-pity. I think this would have happened if he didn't have as nice teachers and an environment that supported his studies.

I agree with everything you said, but what stood out the most was your last line. Indeed people forget to see the privileges you just mentioned. Without them, he might have taken the other road of self-destruction (as it is seen when he was about to commit suicide). Glad to see that someone got my point that there are factors why people stay on the self-pity road rather than striving hard. Aside from the difference in psychological beings, their environment and the people they surround themselves with are factors in choices in life.

[briellejee]

True talent doesn't hide for long. But the bad behaviour made him realise that he have to do something for him and his servival.

Glad that he did do something about it. I think we can all agree that his emotional and mental strength to overcome those are strong enough

[briellejee]

I think having to struggle, especially early in life, definitely causes a person to gain a resilience and a strength they would not have had otherwise. That ability to fight and overcome odds makes for higher achievements because an individual knows how to work hard.

I agree with you. I believe these experiences, though not enjoyable, they are there to make us stronger. We often later get to appreciate them.

But then other people don't have the same resilience as we are all different. Others might make it through with therapy. Just a reminder that though I agree that some bad experiences make us stronger, the process might not be easy. Traumatic experiences can make us crumble rather than uplift us. Pulling oneself out of the dark hole is hard.

[briellejee]

Yes his childhood experiences is one of the factors that makes him a better person later on but I think we should also praise his attitude and the way he makes those bad experience into a motivation to success. Not all people can do that , imagine if his not that brave and strong-wiled , he could never be what he is now - not just a man of value but a man of inspiration as well

I agree. That phrase "not all people could do that" is something I've beens aying over and over again in the replies as some people think it's applicable to everyone else. I'm relieved of your reply, at least someone is on the same page as me.

[briellejee]

I agree that his childhood experiences definitely played a part in his ambitious goals and drive to succeed. Everyone has the potential in them to be great, but it stays latent within them until it's unlocked, whether you do it yourself or a situation you are placed into does. In the author's case, it manifested quite early due to his childhood, which allowed him to be as successful as he was. He found his potential and did something with it, persevering until he got what he wanted.

His tenacity was strong enough at an early age. I agree about the potential and the talent staying latent until something happens. The perfect and loved cliche in movies illustrates this as well. Characters tend to stay low until someone they dearly loved died and then proceed to become powerful for the greater good.

[briellejee]

I think experiences play a defining role in shaping us as a person. However we are, a major part of it is dictated by our experiences. Of course there are situations to which we each react differently but even that reaction is probed by a prior experience.

Agreed! Experiences play an important role since they tend to stick with us and make us who we are.

[briellejee]

I agree that his experiences helped shape him but not just with his successes. With the disappointment of his father and the way his aunt Edith treated him, I think it also fostered the kind of independence that ended with him giving up some pretty great opportunities like working with Dr. Axelrod.

Yes! I agree. The treatment he received from his aunt, mother and family forged his independence and the ability to have a good working relationship with anyone later in life.

Agreed. It was the fuel that led the author to learn from it and make something good out of it.

[briellejee]

It depends on whether this is a case of nature or nurture. Perhaps he would have succeeded whatever his circumstances. Or maybe the author was able to achieve his goals due to the difficult upbringing he faced. Perhaps it is a combination of the two! It is difficult to know how a different childhood could have altered his future.

True. I think the clear answer is that whether he had those experiences or not, the choices in his life was made by him and his pure heart. The experiences may have been catalysts but in the end, his personality still made him who he is.

[briellejee]

Yes I think his childhood experiences helped to shape him just as mine did.

Same here. My experiences have a great role in me becoming the person I am today as well.

[briellejee]

Life experiences can either motivate us or demotivate us. I think it is our choices then to decide how we perceive the world around us.

I agree. In the end, it will be our choice that matters.

[Bhaskins]

I believe childhood experiences can play a big part in defining someone's life in many ways. The outcome for a person's life depends on how they interpret some of the most dramatic childhood experiences. Some will let the experience defeat them while others will be determined to do just the opposite and go for the gold, just as the author in this instance did. Everything he experienced during childhood was out of his control so he did not let them have an impact on what he set out to accomplish.

I love this! I work with children as a therapist and I think so much of hard childhood experiences and the way people turn out is due to personality. There are so many protective factors against having a hard start in early life (ACES study), and I think that so many can take hard things and push themselves as he did.