What's the definition for Success?

 

All right, what are we discussing today... success & failure? Everyone one of you might have come across this topic at some point in your life. How to be a successful person, failures are steppingstones, don't repeat your mistakes, everyone will see success one day... work hard, etcetera, and so on and so forth.

Okay, I am not trying to discuss that here nor want to give a lecture on this topic. Everyone is well-aware of this topic and have a clear understanding of how to be successful and how to learn from failures and all such stuff. Let's step back a bit and discuss our definition of success and failure and try to look at it from a different angle. In my opinion, success and failure are relative to a person's perspective and situational, not necessarily quantitative. Let's discuss this thought further with a few examples...

Consider there's a slum somewhere, with poor educational and medical facilities, where it's hard for kids in that area to get a basic education. Now imagine that a social organization or a Government took initiation to provide education facilities, utilizing the volunteer's help. After a year a very few of them were able to clear the final exam conducted by the organization however, they are now able to read and write and do some calculations which may not be on par with the standards set by the organization to measure the success of this program. In this scenario, we have multiple stakeholders and different perspectives to measure their success here.

The organization's upper management engaged with this program may see it as a failure or semi-success, but, some volunteers may find success in their personal perspective as they were able to deliver something to the community. Similarly, the people in the slum may see it as a success because they now know how to read and write, better than earlier. So, the criteria for success and failure are relative to people's thought and situation.

Let's discuss another scenario, assume that you are preparing to attain certification and were able to achieve it. But, imagine that you feel that there's still a lot to learn for implementation. In this case, do you think attaining the certification is a success? Although your immediate family members, friends, colleagues, etc... may see it as a success from their perspective, that may differ with your thoughts.

Also, in some situations, failure of another person may be your success and your failures maybe their success. Well, not just for people but, it can be applied to businesses, organizations, even for countries. So, there is no definitive meaning for success or failure, they are just perceptions based on the people, entity or the situation itself. 

Okay, so what's the point? Well, do not get discouraged or get excited about your success and failure, rather define your goals and quantify them in your terms, it's your life define it your way. Remember that happiness and peace are just thoughts, in-fact every feeling is a thought. You decide what you want, it's in your hands. 

I am not saying, you shouldn't be competitive or strive for growth, just follow your thoughts and live life. Anything that you come across is a flavour of life, accept and enjoy it. This thought gives peace and happiness at your heart so you can stay calm and focused on the next steps.