Success - A Journey or the Destination?

Success, would you know it if you found it? It is notoriously difficult to measure success since the yardstick of success is nebulous and ever changing. Is success a destination or the journey? “On my way to success, I lost my happiness. How I wish I had smelt the roses! ”, laments an anonymous writer. But tread we must the lonely road to success. Sir Winston Churchill, former British Prime Minister once said that “Success is going from failure to failure without a loss of enthusiasm”. As one of the great leaders of the last century he should know. This theme has been repeated often in our poetry, literature and plays. Who can forget the poignant story written by Robert Bruce and the famous quote, “Try, try and try again, until you succeed.”

Learned men have always said that success is something that cannot be measured and differs from person to person. Jim Rohn, America’s leading Business Philosopher describes success as “nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day”.

All of us want to succeed in our own unique way and we strive for it. But what is success is unknown to many of us. Are fame, name and money success? Can you term material gains as success in an individual’s life? The answer is a big NO. Motivational and Personal Development experts feel that happiness is the answer to success. In this material driven world if a person can stay happy through his highs and lows then it can be called success.

The poet David Frost said that ‘don’t aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally’. How true. If you are passionate about what you do, you are sure to excel in that field, leading to success in your career. Professional success leads not only to happiness but also to innovate in your chosen field. If every individual can identify their core strength and work on it then success is sure to be achieved leading to happiness and satisfaction. Whether you are an artist or a writer or a doctor or a software programmer, being ardent and fervent about your work will show in what you do, leading to fame and name. Many achievers have said that once you achieve success you feel empty inside. But I beg to differ. If you are committed to your work with passion and zeal you won’t feel lonely. Professional success is like an aphrodisiac. You will want to achieve it again and again. British author Michael Korda says that ‘Your chances of success are directly proportional to the degree of pleasure you derive from what you do. If you are in a job you hate, face the fact squarely and get out’.

We must attract success not chase it.

Many times, it is seen that a person with tremendous leadership traits, fails when he sets up his own shop. Qualities like hard work, tenacity and perseverance which seemed an asset somehow turn into a liability. This is due to the fact that they fail to take any responsibility. Don’t play blame games in case of failure. As an entrepreneur, you have to accept that the buck stops with you, each and every time. Taking responsibility is a major act of a true leader. All these attributes in a leader helps him in attaining success.

Former President Abraham Lincoln, failed to gain office many times before he finally became the President. His purpose and goals were clear in his mind and he did not give up. He said “try and try until you succeed” and that’s exactly what he did. Success and failure are like two sides of a coin. Sometimes it is heads and other times tails. If you can accept both with positive attitude, you are sure to succeed. The purpose of experiencing failure is to appreciate success when it comes to you.

‘I think we worry about failure too much. I don’t think that failure very often can hurt anybody. Its fear of failure that will absolutely destroy you’ says the learned Jack Lemmon. Just as the story of a spider inspired Robert Bruce to try and win his battle, it’s only your guts, determination and motivation that help you to achieve success in life.
Even in personal life success depends on a positive attitude, motivation to stay in a relationship as well as being sincere and dedicated to your loved ones which lead to success in the relationship. Very often we confuse issues and get side tracked leading to despair and heart ache. It is always wise to look at your cup half full. Achievement and motivation are like Siamese twins. One doesn’t exist without the other. When these two go hand in hand success is certain. This is true not only to professional life but to personal life as well.

‘The men who try to do something and fail are infinitely better than those who try to do nothing and succeed’ Lloyd Jones

Instead of just lamenting that you are not lucky enough to get success it is better to catch the bull by its horns. Take charge of your life and set about by starting with a positive thought. A single positive thought can lead to many big achievements in life. Consider for a moment the Law of Attraction; Rhonda Byrne in her book ‘The Secret’ says that, thoughts are powerful and transform themselves into things. We are like communication towers transmitting at different frequencies. When we transmit powerful positive signals which reach out to the universe, it brings forth beautiful and fruitful results in the form of success. If you transmit sad and negative thoughts you only get what you have transmitted. The ‘Secret’ was said to have been inspired by the classic text ‘The Science of Getting Rich’ which was written almost a century ago. This book lays out a blueprint for financial success and a free copy is available from The SuccessBlog at www.ursuccess.net

This is the difference between success and failure. Be clear in your mind what you are asking for. Remember there is no limit, no constraint to thinking big.

Success is often the result of taking a misstep in the right direction- says Al Bernstein.

In conclusion remember that real success is achieved when there is undisturbed peace of mind and my favourite quotation on the subject by George Woodberry,

“Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure”.