Defining Success
Considering famous or wealthy people, we come up with different interpretations for success. Thus the definition of success is determined by the people. But is that really so? The definition of success isn't the same for people of different professions. This is not the same “success” that is found by a trader in capturing the market and found by a physician who treats his patient. Every person is different, their point of view is also different. So it is better to measure their success differently. Famous sociologist and psychologist Erin Baker once said:
Success is something that everyone can define and design for themselves
Success is not just about money, power, or fame. Success is about reaching a point in life where you will feel that you have survived. It will seem like that you have been able to bring some sparkle to your talent. You have been able to do good for yourself and other people. When you can close your eyes and say with satisfaction — I have done what I had to do, I have seen what I had to see, I have said what I had to say. And then it can be said, you are a successful person.
At the same time, we can call success a feeling, an exuberance of talent and skill, where every rational desire enters the process of transformation. You may not get what you want right now, but it has entered the process of getting it and you will get it today or tomorrow. And then you can help to convert your desires as well as the desires of many more people.
In fact, there are many types of success. Mental success is peace, physical success is good health and financial success is prosperity. Spiritual success is self-realization. Money, fame, prestige, influence are all instruments of success, but they are not the only success. Success means the absence of deprivation.
Success is a non-stop process. The successful one is the one who can build a new palace from the ashes of apparent failure. He thinks that every achievement is the basis of a new beginning. At the end of each achievement, the journey of greater achievement begins.
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Success, and its meaning, however, vary with age. Many people think that success is — obtaining a good education at one age, setting up a career at another age, and finding happiness at the last age.
Various surveys show that about 60 to 70 percent of teens find success in their preferred educational institution, while about 70 percent of 30 odd adults find success in a good job or business. Adults over the age of 40 find success again on their bank balance! And those who have given up work or those in their sixties see success in the midst of all their happiness and joy. Thus the definition of success changes over time as people’s attitudes change.
Your success depends on your work. Your happiness is your success. You are not giving up, you might not seem to do so, but you are consistently doing your best to be happy.
Every man is happy until, Happiness is suddenly a goal
Having Faith
To be successful, you must first believe in the infinite power of the mind and brain. Scientists say, “I can, this conviction is the basis of all success.” They say you can if you believe you can. In fact, faith is the basis of all success, all achievement. Faith heals disease, transforms failure into success and turmoil into peace. Faith develops talent, harnesses competence, and creates skills.
There are countless examples of how faith creates competence and success. For thousands of years, runners thought it was impossible to run a mile in four minutes. Experts said that both the strength of the human leg muscles and the capacity of the lungs were obstacles. One may even die if he tries.
A thousand years later, the young Roger Bannister of England first began to believe that one mile could be run in four minutes. Practice after practice. To everyone’s surprise, in 1953 he recorded a one-mile run in four minutes. At the end of his 15 days, John Landy ran one mile, two seconds less than four minutes. Over the next 30 years, more than a thousand runners ran one mile in four minutes. When people believed that it was not possible, no one could. The day Roger Bannister believed and did, then a thousand could.
The history of the progress of science is also the history of the victory of faith. Any technology first scientists believe that it is possible to make, it is possible to make. Then they made. You see, the history of aircraft. For thousands of years, scientists believed that objects heavier than air would not fly in the sky. And they didn’t.
At first, the Wright Brothers began to believe that no, something heavier than air would fly in the sky if the proportions of its body and wings were right and that it could transmit motion. Other scientists have laughed at them. But the Wright Brothers remained steadfast in their faith. Made the plane. The appearance of civilization changed.
Ninety percent of the world’s richest people have come out of a very ordinary situation with this belief. Andrew Carnegie, the greatest millionaire of his time in America, was the son of a slum dweller. When he was 12 years old, he wanted to enter a public park. The doorman did not let him in because of his dirty clothes. But the 12-year-old had so much conviction, so much faith, that he stood there and promised himself that the day I had the money, I would buy the park.
Andrew Carnegie kept his promise 30 years later. He bought that park. There was a new signboard. The signboard read, “From today, day or night, morning or afternoon, people of any age, any dress can enter this park.”
Differentiating the “Disbelief”
We can explain the difference between belief and disbelief with a small example. If a wooden plank six inches wide is spread on the floor in front of you and you are asked to take a short walk through it. What will you do? You will run. Because you know, you don’t need more than six inches of space to get your feet out. Someone’s feet are not six inches wide.
But if this plank can be put from the roof of a tall building to the roof of a building on that side of the road and if then you are said, brother, what a beautiful run you did a little while ago — you don’t have to run this time, just walk slowly. What will you do? First look at the front. See how far? Then look down, how high? Then you will think, what if I fall? One leg, two legs, three legs. That’s it! You will fall and become absolutely breathless of potatoes.
The first time you could, why not the second time? Because the first time, no question came to your mind, no thought of falling. The second time the question entered your mind, what if you fall? But in the circus, you see a 12-year-old running on a rope. He can, why can’t you? Because he believes he can. And the question arises in your mind, what if I fall?
In fact, we have everything, lacking just faith. We cannot believe in ourselves. The day you can believe that you can too, is the day you will be transformed into a being who is successful. Faith will indeed lead you to success.
Embracing Failure
We easily make another mistake in our quest for success. That is, we consider the success of others as a measure of our own success. Most of the time we leave it out of considering how much labor we have put into it. For example, a student who worked hard and got a CGPA of 4, and another student barely had any contact whatsoever with the books and got a CGPA of 3.50. If that other student suffers from the guilt of failure, it is utter nonsense.
In a conversation with a Ph.D. researcher living in Virginia, he said, “There is no set standard for success. There is no guarantee that you will find yourself successful in a job or achievement that you will not find worthless in the future. To me, success is the sum of small goals. Wherewith one point you cross another point. Obstacles will come in the way of covering these goals. In this way, you have to move forward with both success and failure. In fact, neither success nor failure is permanent!”
Failure is something that no one wants to accept voluntarily. Besides, no one gets anything easily without failure. But it is almost certain that most of us are familiar with it in one way or another. Most people lead their lives through failure.
The best plans and ideas come from failure. There have been many great studies on failure. These studies have shown that many great failures lead to discoveries, which in turn lead to many great successes. All the people who have achieved success so far are very well aware of the failure. A vivid example of this is Thomas Alva Edison.
Failure motivates us to work harder and to do better. When there is no complication in our work and we feel comfortable in it, then we are so satisfied and do not work hard anymore. And when we face a complex situation, we change our previous position and move forward.
Failure also contributes to personal development. Failure helps you change your personality. It helps you to have a better understanding of those who have the above experience of failure. Ultimately, failure turns you into a strong successful person, whom you never knew existed.
Accepting consequences
Whatever we give in this universe will come back to us. That is, just as we will suffer the consequences of our good deeds, we must be prepared to suffer the consequences of our bad deeds. Simply put, just as human beings have polluted the environment in the wake of development, so too people have to suffer the consequences of that pollution through various natural disasters.
We will be rewarded for what we do. So in most cases, it is a shame to compare yourself with others. Moreover, trying to compare yourself with others is a kind of failure. In this context, it is necessary to quote Bill Gates —
Don’t compare yourself with anyone in this world. If you do so, you are insulting yourself
Altering the Conclusion
It is not my intention to summarize the perspectives, discussions, and thoughts that I have mentioned previously, especially not on an enigmatic topic like “success”. In conclusion of the discussion, I would like to draw your attention to just a few things.
First, if you want to be successful, or want to reach its core, you need to define what is success to you? What is it that you would prefer to as “success.” When can you tell that you have become successful, what should it be like?
Second, consider what would you need to do to reach your goal, expect a path which will be mixed with both achievements and failures at the same time. Do you have it all to reach there? Can you really do the deeds?
Third, remember success as the name of a moment that has the power to last forever, after a lot of effort, people face that moment. Success is the fulfillment of the dream of self-establishment.
Fourth, don’t set success as your destination, rather think of success as a way of life, it is not a place of reflection or a destination to reach. A person’s success should be judged by his commitment to good conduct and his relentless journey of hard work to achieve the goals and objectives that he can strive for throughout his life. So the journey to success is never complete and there is always more to do.
I will finish up with a verse from the Holy Bible, “Success is not a matter of achievement but faith in the Creator.”
NB: I’m not a very big fan of quoting from celebrities, since this topic is about success, quoting from people whom we consider “successful” seemed reasonable.
Cover Photo on Unsplash
