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By Jayaram V
What is true success? People know what success is and who are
successful.
But they may not be able to tell you clearly who is
a successful person and what constitutes success. You will know
in the later part of our discussion why people have such
difficulty in defining success. For now let us focus on what
success means to different people. Success is a relative term.
If a person is making 10 dollars an hour and suddenly he or she
gets a new job and starts making 50 dollars an hour, that person
will deem the exponential increase in the income a great success.
But now let us turn our attention to another person who has been making two
million dollars annually, except this particular year during
which the income came down to just over a million. One million
dollars is a large sum of money by any standards. Many people won't be able to save that
much money during their entire life time. But that person, despite a
million dollars annual income, may still feel unhappy and
unsuccessful.
So what made the difference here? It is the expectation. If
your expectations are high, very likely you may feel
disappointed with modest achievements, even if such achievements
may be viewed by others as highly successful accomplishments.
Sometimes, not only your expectations, but the expectations of
other people may influence your thinking about success. For
example, if you have highly critical parents, who are difficult
to please and who demand a great deal from you, you may be under
constant pressure to please them through your achievements and
may not feel happy at all, even if you have done well, if you
haven't met with their expectations.
There is another angle to success. Your concept of success is
deeply connected with your values and beliefs. If your value
system says having money is the most important thing in life,
then you will deem that as success. But if your value system
says that apart from having money, peace, stability, integrity,
happiness and contentment are also important, it presents an
entirely different picture of success to you. Some people are extremely
wealthy,
but not happy. some people are plain ordinary, but very happy
and secure. Some people make lots of money, but don't save much.
Some people don't make lots of money, but save a great deal of
what they earn. Some people live with scarcity mentality even
after they become rich. Some people spend with a generous heart,
even if they have limited means. We don't know whether we should
call one or the other successful because we are not sure how far
their lifestyles and their individual habits contribute to their
success or sense of well being. Let us now analyze some of the
most common views about success.
1. Success means being happy.
2. Success mean to win a game or a competition.
3. Success means to acquire something that you have been
working for.
4. Success means getting a great job that is the envy of
many.
5. Success means becoming rich, living in a large house,
driving a luxury car and having all the comforts of life.
6. Success means becoming a celebrity.
7. Success means getting recognition, name and fame.
8. Success means having status, power, influence and control.
9. Success means freedom from want, fear and insecurity.
10. Success means to be able to get whatever you want and
whenever you want it.
11. Success means overcoming failures, disappointments and
obstacles.
Now what is the most common factor in all the above
definitions of success? These definitions view success in terms
of achievement, accomplishment, fulfillment and attainment. They
allude to having something, which you dearly wanted or which
gives you an advantage over others or which adds to your status,
power and prestige. In short, they tell you that success means
realizing whatever goal or dream you set your mind upon, from
which you derive a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment.
Many people are not sure whether they are successful or not
because they don't have goals. When you don't have clearly
defined goals, it is difficult for you to know whether you are
successful or not. You may have vague expectations, but they
don't give you a true measure of your success. So it is
important that you set clearly defined goals for your life or
your career and work for them.
There are a few more facts about success. First, success does
not guarantee happiness or respect in society. Your happiness
comes from within and it is usually connected with your
expectations. If you have low self-esteem probably you may not
be easily pleased with your achievements and still feel unhappy
about some inadequacy or imperfection you perceive in yourself.
Successful people, including some big celebrities, with low
self-esteem may spend a great deal of their lives with the fear
that people may ultimately find out their incompetence and think
poorly about them. As for the respect, it depends upon how
people perceive a successful person. We live in a competitive
world where many people, including our closest friends and
relations, would be too happy to see us fail. So successful
people know
that success puts a great burden upon them to stand up to the
expectations of society and prove their merit time and again.
They also know that as role models of society, they are subject
to extra scrutiny and harsh judgment. Secondly, a successful
person need not always be successful and need not always feel
confident about success. No one can take success for granted.
However knowledgeable, capable, intelligent and skillful a person
may be, past success doesn't guarantee future success.
If you want to be successful, what should you do?
1. First have clearly defined specific, measurable and
achievable goals.
2. Remain focused on them day and night. Think of them as
frequently as you can.
3. Make the best use of your resources to achieve them, such
as your skills, your time, your intelligence, your knowledge and
your social skills. Your resources are your investment. They
actually constitute your wealth.
4. Be perseverant and persistent till you reach your goals.
5. Be flexible to change your plans, but not your goals.
6. Learn from your mistakes. Each time you fail, ask yourself
how you may do better next time. This "how can I do better"
question is very important and has a tremendous value in your
success. It is what
creates people like Thomas Alva Edison, with tough minds.
7. Never give up. If you are focused on "how" you will not
easily give up till you reach your goals.
8. When you reach your goals, celebrate your success,
broadcast your success and rejoice in it.
9. Finally, share your success with others. Let them know
what makes people successful. Help them gain from your
experience.
Suggested Further Reading
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