What is success? How to achieve it? How to measure our success? These are some of the questions which inspired me to write this article.
When we took our first step as babies, after endless trails, did we appreciate ourselves once we old enough to understand? The answer mostly is a “No”, Have we ever asked ourselves Why? We fail to appreciate our own great achievement of walking because everyone around us made us realised that it’s just a milestone and usually baby walk. We and people around us forgot that, it was our own endless effort that we could stand and walk, else no one in this dam world could have made us walk. Stories are endless after that one very important success.
Our first day to school, leaving our cosy & comfort zone and going to unknown till it become our own sweet world. It was one big brave step, another success, after it was endless learning different skills, in school and outside school. Should this not be considered as another success story? Often, we are told, “Anyone in this world can do it, everyone does it, big deal”? In this process we forget it was new, we were doing for the first time in our life, to do anything new requires courage and determination, even attempting it wholeheartedly is success…. Instead of celebrating our many small successful stories, we are running behind the “unknown” success.
Have you ever thought or asked yourself, why it happens? The reason in my opinion is – we are in constant comparation with others. We keep thinking “what others will say”, even for small or big things in life for example – if we couldn’t achieve 100 out of 100 or couldn’t achieve that top position in class or company. After this constant comparation we reach in an insane state of mind and this not our “natural or normal state”.
Success is often measured by medals, certificates, marks and money/salary. It becomes unimportant for a human being to be a human being, to practise kindness, forgiveness, sympathy, etc. We are running behind a “fake” success. Why I called it fake success because the Universe has never sent us with a purpose to score 100 out of 100 in maths examination! He has sent us to polish ourselves as human beings. Sorry to tell but for the Almighty it doesn’t matter how much you are earning monthly, what only matters is did you help someone today, did you hold someone’s hand and said don’t worry everything will be better soon. Answer is ‘NO’, a big ‘NO’. All we want in life is something big. In case you achieve, ‘that big’ still you will be miserable, instead of celebrating your success, you will set new goal for yourself immediately.
In this whole race for success, that materialistic success, which is achieved by only handful people, unfortunately every school or company has only one number #1 position. Rest lives their lives in frustrations and kind of constant comparison. Hardly people try to understand their life’s purpose, very sad…
Anywhere I am not promoting or supporting to sit at home and don’t earn for living. Yes, be satisfied with present moment of your life. If you are in 1bhk house, you are successful you have a house. Appreciate you have a family and friends. Eat together, enjoy small moments, teach your children moral values. If you are always anxious about future, you can’t achieve set goals. Mostly anxious people can’t achieve set goals because they are too fearful of the consequences, “what will happen next”. If one is happy, content and excited for his day-to-day work, achieving set goal becomes a catwalk. With healthy and positive mind one can achieve any impossible goals. That person is in position to plan his future in much better way. With positive mind definitely you going to upgrade yourself to 2bhk. Its same as after walking for the first time as baby, you upgraded yourselves with tricycle after sometime.
Don’t forget to appreciate yourself and always thank God. This time don’t forget celebrating your success. Next time when you have dinner with your children and your wife, don’t tell them how much you have worked hard for this meal. Instead tell them to thank God for today’s meal, that way they will learn art of gratitude and appreciation. They will understand slowly that after hard work they can get the best in life. Will learn to appreciate every moment of life.
When I was young, I used to watch KBC, in that everyone used to appreciate Amitabh Bacchan, “You are super star, star of millennium”. God bless him and give him more success and a good health. I feel that we all are super stars, star of millennium, of our own life stories. We just need to learn art of appreciation. Appreciate yourself!
Just take a pause from your busy life and ask yourself, what makes you happy? Answer genuinely to yourself, not what others have to say.
Today when I was sitting alone, I was just thinking, I am not successful, suddenly these thoughts came as a flash to me and forced me to write down my views and believes. Even if ten or twenty people read this article and anyone, even one person gets inspired with this thought, for me that will be success. At least my life will be useful to change one person’s mind set or thought process. At least I was useful to that one person. I never say not to earn money and position in society, but some where you have to pause and draw a line, that is my success, to feel happy from inside. Stop unnecessarily running after the “next” goal of life and giving invitation to mental health issues and many other health related problems. Spend time on yourself and your family and stop exhausting yourself. The car which you have today will give same ride, as new model expensive car…so think!
You have to decide what is your success. Since childhood we are trained, to achieve more and more. When we achieved 70%, people said why not 85%, when achieved, again same people said, why not 95%, achieved that as well. Oh, you needed 99% to get admission in that college. After that also many will comment that, it’s hard for you to get admission because at same time one lakh people are applying for that seat. Somewhere that discouragement continues. If you don’t get admission, you can’t achieve anything in life – same people will comment. Pushing human being in race of marks, without understanding talents and potential. Without appreciating his/her achievement pushing into more competition doesn’t helps. The child is in a constant comparative state of mind. No time for celebration and appreciation only running in the “race”.
Please take a pause and ask yourselves what makes you most happy? You have the answer to this question and no one else can…
Thank you
Shivali saxena
