What does the road to success look like?
Sitting near the window one early winter morning and feeling refreshed and alive with the cool morning breeze I was lost deep in my thoughts wondering how far life has moved. I am 31 years old now and my life has changed upside down in its own happy and sad ways. Questions kept cooking in my mind for a while as I analyzed my life journey so far, asking myself am i successful?
But then what does success look like? Isn’t it a tough question to evaluate? Everyone has their own trajectory of measuring success.
On the road to success, there are bends, ups and downs, some lows and some highs. Success is not something you easily achieve, in fact it is something that knocks you off. At times we forget that this road to success also has failure as a part of its recipe and most likely we tend to reject failures. But why? Failures taught us to grow better. Each time we are knocked down by the circumstances of life, we have an important decision to make. You can choose to get up and keep trying, or to give up and stay down and out. Failures give us the real taste of success.
The next important part of success is the journey, never look out for the end goal. Seek through the journey and observe what all have you learnt on your way to success, that is even more important than the final goal being achieved. The journey teaches us some important aspects which we don’t care for any more. Success is not about achieving one singular mission, but it is about witnessing the grand victory.
I believe that success is not an end but it is a moving target. My today’s lifestyle was a dream for me when I received my first paycheck in my teenage years. A nice home, good salary, car, fancy clothes and a happy life, now that’s what success looks like. But now that I have all this, I am still craving for more. I dream to become independent, a senior contributor in my professional world, i want to increase my cashflow and decrease my expenses. In short the term “SUCCESS” will keep changing with time as there is no end to it.
While following the road to success another important aspect is to balance the approach to success. To me success is not only about having more money, but to have a comfortable and satisfactory life, and to taste this satisfaction it is important to live every moment. There’s no end to running behind achieving something or other, but the journey is all about enjoying the scenic view, pit stops, some flat tyres, tasteless food to tasting michelin star chef’s delicacy.
I have watched people burn out while they run on the treadmill to success. A fresh start is always full of enthusiasm but as you keep walking you start getting demotivated as the road becomes monotonous and you get diverted by watching people walking next to you. It can be so easy to start towards a goal with immense passion and energy, but life often steps in and leads to demotivation and distraction. It is important to keep walking, even if you are taking those baby steps toward your goal but don’t stop because of the diversions on the way. Staying motivated itself does half of the work.
As you continue to walk on this road to success, remember that every route is different from the last road that you have crossed and every journey is different and special in its own way. Before you start, keep this in mind that you will have to give yourself a defined time, keep the things ready that you need beforehand and rest you can collect on your way. When you cross half of the path, take a look back and stock what you’ve done up until this point. There may be a point where you failed or you took extra time but appreciating yourself where you did well is equally important. Look closely on what you have learnt so far and then the rest half way will become comparatively smooth for you.
For me Success is not the end of the journey but it is the journey itself. Success is just not about having a wealthy bank balance, or owning a luxury car, or working as a CEO. Success is different for every individual. Look at someone who is working at a very junior level as per his age but he is able to take care of his family well then that happy family is success to him.
What’s the point of being successful as a CEO of any Multinational Company when you don’t have any time to spend with your family and friends, success is not the tag but the happiness that comes along with it.
To me personally success is the ultimate happiness, it’s not the money I earn, not the house I live in, not the company I work for. There is no success with satisfaction and happiness. Success cannot be measured by your bank balance, success is measured by how satisfied and content you are with the work you have done. If you are eternally happy then you have become successful in life.
I am a mother of a six year old boy and have recently resumed my career after 6 long years, I am not professionally very high ranked but that does not means i am not successful, I am able to balance my personal and professional life well without guilt I am content with my life, I have raised my son with good values, I have a happy married relationship, I live a physically healthy life, my family is near me and with God’s grace i have everything that i need. This is all that actually matters in life, and I can say that I AM SUCCESSFUL and this is my MANTRA TO SUCCESS.
The road to “SUCCESS” was not easy for me either, but I had to make it easier for myself by looking at the happy times and the achievements I did.
Happy Living!
A Wealth Experience Manager for UpperCrust Wealth Pvt. Ltd. A person with a blend of creativity and emotions, who loves to discover new work angles.
