I do not understand what this word “Success” means. What does it mean exactly? The meaning as defined in the dictionary is “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose.”
What are the accomplishments that make up for a person being successful?
- Is it having more money? A big house?
- A big family? A big life? A great job?
- A high profile job? Are you successful if you are the president of a country? Or the CEO of a company?
What is it that makes a person successful? And why do we think that others are not? We are so consumed by looking at the lives of the rich and famous, that we think that they are very successful. That to be successful means to be a celebrity or rich. Why are these examples held up as epitomes of success?
An accomplishment can be anything – So anyone who has ever achieved something in his life (without hurting or harming anyone else) can be a successful person. Everyone wants to be successful – yet no one knows what it means exactly.
You might say that having a great job after all hardship is being successful in life. I might argue that having a loving family means, that I have achieved something wonderful in life. Which one of us is right? If none of us is, then we do not really know what success is. And if both of us are, right, then why are we holding money or riches as an example of success when having a family and love is also an achievement?
We all know about the “How to be successful” books, the self-help guides, the pep talks and the guidance sessions and so on. However, how much do these actually help a real person? Some of it, no doubt is good. But for the most part, it is not useful. For some of us, getting up every day in good spirits, is itself an achievement – why are we not celebrating that as a successful achievement?
There are no failures – Even a failure is an achievement in learning – and failure can be celebrated. We may feel sad that we failed at something – but the lesson we learn from that failure is again something to be happy about.
The world has a skewed idea of accomplishments and success. We forget to remember the smallest things that we do can also be counted as an achievement. We only celebrate the “big” things – which we think are accomplishments. Like graduation, or getting a job or getting married or getting a promotion or buying a house or a car. No doubt, these are accomplishments in their own right – But to hold them up as examples of what success looks like is unfair and biased.
Remember the little things –
- Were you able to make it through the day without feeling lost? Yes – That is an amazing accomplishment.
- Do you have people in your life who care for you and whom you care about? – Yes – That is another thing to celebrate.
- Are you alone and still manage to keep going? – Yes – Brilliant accomplishment right there.
- Were you kind to someone today? – Yes – Pat yourself on the back- you made someone’s day brighter. An achievement in itself.
Celebrate the little things – Always. The smallest things make the biggest accomplishments. The world needs to remember that.
Thoughts - Random or Otherwise 