Growing up the image of dedication is commonly seen as a gateway towards being a successful person. It is put into the heads of the children that those who are famous and successful, made it where they are through hard work and dedication which for the most part, is true. People often wonder what separates themselves from those who are happy and successful, and the answer is Dedication. Webster’s Dictionary defines the word Dedication as” a feeling of very strong support or loyalty to someone or something”. This definition does not display what dedication truly is.
Dedication cannot be described as a feeling for it is an action. Someone can say they are “dedicated” to someone or something, but just saying it doesn’t allow people to understand the hard work and effort that is put forth with true dedication. Dedication is when you devote a large portion of your life to obtain or achieve a goal, that is driven by passion. The word Dedication can be used in a could different contexts because it has a few different definitions. One of these definitions of Dedication is when one dedicates something to somebody else. For example, when an author dedicates a book to somebody they love.
Although the word has more than one definition, it is still often found being used wrong. There are many poor assumptions of the word as well. Dedication does not come easy as many people think it will. Dedication takes a large amount of mental toughness and passion to pursue. Those who don’t have drive often have a difficult time remaining dedicated to something no matter what it is. Many also believe that dedication is easy and does not take much work. For example just because somebody goes to practice everyday and works hard, does not mean that the are dedicated to the sport.
In this case somebody who is dedicated to their sport goes beyond the expectations and works as hard as they can after hours. They will go to the gym everyday in the offseason for hours on end to make themselves better through passion, heart, and drive. To be dedicated you must want something bad enough to wear the human body is put through hours of strain in order to become stronger. The word “Dedication” has the originates from the latin language. In latin the word originated as “Dedicationem” in the late 1550s, a noun of action from the word “Dedicare” meaning “the giving of oneself to some purpose”.
A common comparison for the word “Dedication” is the word “Allegiance”. Webster’s Dictionary defines allegiance as “loyalty or devotion to some person, group, cause, or the like”. Although allegiance involves some devotion, it differs from the word “Dedication” itself. When one pledges allegiance it is normal that although they have pledged, they do nothing to show their allegiance. The words are said and basically have no meaning for no effort is put forth to uphold their pledge of allegiance, one can pledge allegiance and do nothing for what or who you are pledging for.
Dedication on the other hand is not dedication without putting in the work. Dedication can not be pledged or claimed as well. If one is dedicated it isn’t told it is shown. It is easy to see who is dedicated and who is not by watching the progression of others. Seeing who is flourishing in their craft and who is not. With allegiance this difficult to do because difficult to display it. It is often mistaken that Dedication is only through the physical aspects of life. Dedication also comes into relationships with others as well.
Dedication comes into relationships when somebody loves somebody else very much. This is called being dedicated to a person which is very normal. People don’t consider loving somebody dedication which is a common mistake. If somebody loves somebody they put the time and effort into keeping them happy and maintaining a strong and healthy relationship with that person. Another relationship that people have that involves dedication, is a parent or a coach. These two people put time and large amounts of effort into helping others succeed.
A parent devotes their life from the moment their child is born, to nourish and love their child. They work hard to take care of the child and raise it to become a well rounded adult. A coach is willing to spend hours watching film, running practice, and coaching games at the best of his ability for longs seasons in hope of having a successful team. These two jobs aren’t only driven by passion but also love. Dedication is the key to becoming a successful person, especially in society today for there are many opportunities out in the world that can be met.
The word’s meaning can often be undermined and not display how powerful the action of dedication truly is. Dedication is not just spoken word, dedication is hours of hard work. A person that is dedicated spends countless hours perfecting their craft or showing much love and affection to those who are close to them unconditionally to keep them happy. Passion and will is what drives dedication and is what keeps the focus on the bigger picture. Dedication is what pushes people to remain patient, and strive while reaching for their goals.