The selfishness of success

“To be successful, you have to be selfish or else you never achieve. And once you get to your highest level, then you have to be unselfish. Stay reachable. Stay in touch. Don’t isolate.” —Michael Jordan

I’m a selfish person. In fact, I think many of us had to be selfish in order to become students at the University. The highly competitive Ivy League schools accept only a small fraction of students among a pool of superstars. In order to become one of the lucky few admitted, we had to spend a lot of time developing ourselves. To get the grades and SAT scores that we needed to get in, we had to spend hours locked up in our bedrooms poring over textbooks and practice tests. Could this time have been spent in the service of others? Probably. Rather than taking the SAT five times, we could have used those weekends to tutor less fortunate students. Instead of practicing our sports for hours every day, we could have used that time to volunteer at soup kitchens or with Habitat for Humanity.

Society seems to support the idea that selfishness is an inherently bad trait. Starting when we are very young, our parents urge us to share with others and not be selfish. Many times, narcissistic people are labeled as selfish. However, I think one can still be a moral person while being selfish. People often measure others’ moral character based on how generous or selfless they are. But I have come to realize, as Michael Jordan’s quote states, that selfishness is needed for one to be successful, and it shouldn’t be looked down upon. Selfishness motivates individuals to achieve their goals. If they want to get to the top, or if their goals are to be exceptional athletes, they need to be selfish. To be at Princeton, you have to be the best in whatever you do —athletics, music, creating a company when you’re still in high school —whatever it is. In order to do these extraordinary things, you have to put yourself first. These goals need to come before all others in order for you to achieve. Once you build yourself up in terms of education and then later career and financial stability, you are then better equipped to contribute to others. Our previous selfishness for the sake of success is largely justified so that we can become better at being unselfish later.

If we never think of ourselves first, we will never make it to leadership positions that may actually allow us to help others on a broader scale. However, there is a distinction between a selfish person and a mean person that often gets blurred in society’s view of selfishness. Mean people take any chance they can to exploit others and advance themselves. Selfish people put themselves and their goals first without taking advantage of those around them. While a degree of selfishness is needed for admission to a place like Princeton, I think once we are here, we can begin to turn our attention to others.

As Michael Jordan stated, once we achieve success, we must become unselfish. It is easy to be admitted to the University and quickly begin the selfish drive to achieve admission to grad school or a high-paying career in the same way that characterized some of our high school days. While I do acknowledge that many students volunteered extensively in high school, I believe there are still some, like me, who focused mostly on their own success. A recent column in The Daily Princetonian by Ryan Dukeman urged students to take advantage of the “honeymoon period” while on campus. In many ways, once freshmen begin classes, we have achieved the success we so desperately worked for. This doesn’t mean we stop being motivated and end our desire to succeed. I simply suggest spending a little more time in the service of others during our time at Princeton. As Dukeman noted, junior and senior years are largely filled with the typical selfish pursuits of finding a job or internship. Albeit selfish, these pursuits are necessary for one to achieve their high personal and professional goals. However, as freshmen and sophomores, I believe we have an opportunity to enjoy our success and give back to the community at the same time. So if you want, go on a Breakout trip, volunteer to tutor local kids or become a Community Action leader. Sure, this may take time away from your studies, but during this honeymoon period, I think this sacrifice becomes acceptable and necessary. Within a few years, we will be back to the rat race of finding a job. So for now, enjoy the honeymoon, and use this special time to give back.

Coy Ozias is a freshman fromChristiansburg, Va. He can be reached atcozias@princeton.edu.