What is success? The definition differs
from person to person. But true success cannot be defined. Look at the
interviews of personalities who are socially accepted as successful and you
will find they do not have a formula. Conspiracy theorist and most of us will
argue that they just do not want the other to know. I do not believe this to be
true, as there is no formula to success and neither is there a definition to
it. Let me narrate a story I heard that will best explain this.
When the Greek philosopher Socrates was
asked by one of his students, “what is the formula for success?” Socrates asked
his student to meet him at the lake the next morning for a bath. When they met
at the lake the next morning, he took his student into the lake till the water
was neck deep. Then suddenly Socrates jumped on him and held him under water. He
being stronger, the student was helpless and struggled in vain to get himself
out of the water. After a couple of minutes he let him free. When the student
had caught his breath Socrates asked “What is it that you want the most when
you were in there?”
“Air” said the student.
“Success is like that air you needed under
water. When you need that something the most, you will struggle and fight for
it with all your might to have it.”
I
believe there is no definition for success. In this materialistic world we have
associated success by the purchasing power a person has or in plain words by
how much money he/she has. Today people just want to be famous and rich. Thus the
concept of “your 15 minutes of fame” has caught steam this century. Most want
to be famous and rich without the needed to excel at something.
Most
of us do not get famous or successful mainly because we set goals for
ourselves. I know this is contrary to the general wisdom of all the motivation
books of setting a goal, making a plan and following that plan. If you are
setting a goal, you do not NEED that what you are aiming for; you just WANT it,
it would be good to have. When you need something, like the urge to breathe
when you are under water- you are not down there setting a goal like I should
learn to swim or reach the top. Your body and mind stop thinking, you just
start beating your hands and legs to get whatever air you can. You can succeed when that need comes into you
and then you find a way to get it.
Read autobiographies of any successful
personality and you will not find a goal in there. All you will find is zeal,
an idea, a need to do whatever, a struggle to achieve it and get better at it.
Money is manmade entity, if something is rare on this planet it is worth more.
If you are the best in what you do the money will follow you. I do not know who
said this but it say a lot “find what you love to do and then go and find
someone who will pay you to do that”. In most case if you love to do something
and you are good at it, people will find you and pay you to get it done.
So if you set a goal to be someone- you at
most will be like that person. Now as there is only one top spot and that has
been occupied by that person you idealize, you can only be the second best. The
bitter truth is nobody remembers the second best. Name the second man to set
foot on the moon?
Cheers,
Ninad Dighe.
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