Success means different things to different people. For some, it might be having contributed to the development of a cure for cancer, for others, it might be becoming the CEO of the firm they work in, and yet for others, it might mean raising their children to be exemplary human beings and living a content life. Success encompasses all these things, and yet more. It is important that one understand what his criteria for success are, and what success means to him before he or she sets out on the journey towards it.
Bessie Stanley, the author of the poem, What is a success, described success as, “He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much; Who has enjoyed the trust of pure women, the respect of intelligent men and the love of little children; Who has filled his niche and accomplished his task; Who has never lacked appreciation of Earth’s beauty or failed to express it; Who has left the world better than he found it, Whether an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul; Who has always looked for the best in others and given them the best he had; whose life was an inspiration; Whose memory a benediction” (Bessie Anderson Stanley).
Hence, success has not one, but many connotations, from ‘bigger house, faster car, better school’ to contribute to the happiness and success of others. In my opinion, a person can be defined as successful if he has set goals for himself and achieved these goals while gauging his progress towards reaching these goals and understanding the value of helping others. If he has not made excuses, held himself accountable for his follies, and learned how to deal with any obstacles which came on his path. If he has given his endeavors his all, the very best effort he was capable of, then yes, he has been successful.
When one sets out to achieve success, in personal life, career, or education, it’s important that he has first achieved clarity on what his or her idea of success is: basically, what has to happen for him to call it a successful endeavor? One of the quotes that best describe success, in my opinion, is “Success is the completion of anything intended.” It is the achievement of a certain planned goal. Hence, if one fails to complete a particular task as and when envisioned, that is a failure, not success.
This gives rise to an interesting concept. Success is not simply about graduating with honors or getting promoted to a higher work designation. Success becomes a yardstick by which we can judge every day of our lives, as every day minor things take us close to these bigger goals we might have set for ourselves. This discussion might seem very elementary, but the fact is that a lot of people do not end up doing what they had set out to do. Somewhere along the line they lose focus and stray away from the path to success. Hence, if every day is thought of as a goal in itself, it becomes easier to stay on this path, and consequently, achieve success one day.
Continuing the discussion on what exactly constitutes success, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that every person would have a definition of success that matches their own mindset. Some match the degree of success with the amount of money made or the accolades earned, while some think the apex of success is defined by how many people they’ve made jealous of.
However, the most consistent definition of success is one that relates it to goals. Brian Tracy, the famous self-help author said, “Success is goals, and all else is commentary” (Success Quotes). According to him, people who set clear goals for themselves are far more likely to accomplish more in lesser time than people who have vague goals or lack of focus. However, for this, it is important that one applies discipline in one’s daily life.
People who are haphazard, who procrastinate and waste days of their lives as if they meant nothing can not be expected to achieve success in the longer term. Success has a lot to do with the ability to discipline oneself and to sacrifice short-term happiness or gains for longer-term rewards. Daily discipline has the power to change lives, as it quickly creates habit and consequently, character. And a strong character is essential for success.
As Albert Einstein said, “Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value” (Success Quotes). When one develops a personality that is disciplined, focused and ambitious, but also has basic human values, one achieves success in greater capacities than just their professional life or career. Success does not just constitute making money, but also about developing one’s character in a way that is useful to others, and which does not cause others hurt or harm. Trampling others on one’s path to success would not really help a person to achieve success in its truest form.
Yet, one can not be everything to everybody. That is a sure recipe for failure because there are trade-offs in life and one must understand that to be at peace with the decisions taken. Prioritizing, therefore, is a critical component of success. Michael Angier, a founder of Success Networks, a support organization, said, “Success is the result of steadily taking action on our most important goals. When we consistently focus our energies and our efforts upon what matters most, we can’t help but be successful.”
Aside from prioritizing and discipline as mentioned above, another critical component of success is having faith in oneself. One must believe that he or she deserves success and has the ability to accomplish what is needed for it. If this belief in one’s abilities is missing, then there is a greater chance of failure than of success. Even if the chances of success are remote, but one must believe that if they try if they put in their best effort, the chances will increase in their favor.
Success, as is evident from these discussions, is dependent on the right attitude and the right traits. Often, people exercise a pessimistic or cynical attitude towards life and its opportunities and fail to see all they can achieve. Others, who grasp the opportunities life hands them and mold their vision into a tangible reality, become great success stories. As Louisa May Alcott, the classic American Writer of the 19th century whose works are read and appreciated till today said, “Far away in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see the beauty, believe in them and try to follow where they lead” (Success Quotes).
Success is greatly determined by the action one takes to achieve the dreams or visions one has. A lot of people never achieve success because they fail to act at the times they should, and hence success remains only a dream and never becomes reality.
Throughout all this, a very important constituent of success has not been mentioned. And that is, to do what one loves and believes in. That is true success. A person might be at the highest executive position at his firm and satisfy the criteria which people generally associate with ‘success’ but if he does not like what he does, if he’s not at peace with himself, and is unhappy at the life he has made for himself, while he may be successful in the eyes of the world, this is not true success. Albert Schweitzer, the famous theologian, musician, philosopher, and the physician said, “Success is not the key to happiness.
Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful” (Success Quotes). It is natural that if one loves and believes in what they do, they will undoubtedly be good at it as well, and be successful in reaching new heights. Success will then be an inevitable circumstance.
Success means different things to different people. However, there are some elements that determine success, and enhance its probability such as setting clear goals, being disciplined, prioritizing, having faith, and doing one’s best at something which one likes, or makes one happy. It is not necessary that one will be blessed with success at everything one attempts, but dedicated hard work and effort and not getting discouraged by failure ensures that success will not elude them for long.
References
Bessie Anderson Stanley. (2007). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Web.
Success Quotes. Web.