Reyes, Dalila
Instr. Gross
English 103
April 1, 2011

Happiness Through Self Worth

Growing up, my mother would always tell me, “do whatever makes you happy.” Yet what happens when that happiness conflicts with others physically or emotionally? Happiness isn’t always the correct choice when it affects other people or one’s personal safety. Actions such as theft, murder and lies can never be dismissed or justified if the reason for those actions were that it made an individual happy. Agreeing with one’s choices and having the integrity and self respect is the best decision one can make when achieving true happiness. Through personal experience, retail is a very competitive environment as management positions within the company that I work for are scarcely available. When a pricing position opened up with our store, management collectively decided that the position would be filled by promoting within the store. There were two associates that expressed interest within the position. The first associate was twenty-seven years old, had been with the company for three years, energetic and assertive in demeanor. The second associate was twenty years old, had been with the company for four years, very quite and shy in demeanor. When the interview process had arrived, both candidates were given ample time to describe what they felt were their personal achievements and successes within their time with the company. Within the interviews, it was reveled that one of the associates had lied about a previous job performance and was ultimately terminated. I was eventually offered and then excepted the pricing position. I felt very thankful that my four years within the company had finally paid off. I was relived and proud that I had achieved the position with my self respect intact. It is accomplishments such as these, that allow one to be pleased with ones self and not be haunted with shame or regret of previous bad judgments. My mother would have been terribly wrong to advise me to do what ever makes me happy, if that happiness meant stealing company money such as that terminated employee did.

Scenarios such as these, solidify the need for honesty and integrity, not just the need to feel emotionally happy. It is also a matter of having a clean or guilty conscience. I don’t believe that any good hearted individual could live with their conscience if a choice was not made with good intensions in mind. Having a guilty conscience, would rip a person apart sooner or later, regret and sorrow would then become apart of a person’s life. Religion can also be a large factor between a persons pursuit of happiness or self respect. Many choices that are made are positive choices that would provided happiness or pleasure. It is very difficult to say that an individual would choose anything for the total opposite, yet there are always exceptions. Personally, self respect is the ultimate satisfaction. If I died tomorrow, I would be very satisfied to know that all my accomplishments, as great or little as they maybe, were achieved with self respect and hard earned dedication.