Success is a journey
We all crave and aspire for success in life. We want to be super successful. But what is the definition of success? Does success mean earning millions? Does success mean becoming super famous? What exactly does success mean? Success means different things to different people. Each one of us has different views about success. For some, success means getting a job. For some, success means earning money. For some, success means achieving their goals. There is no standard definition of success.
There is one line about success that fascinates me greatly. It is – “Success is a journey and not a destination.” What a lovely line this is! Many of us think success means arriving at someplace or achieving something. But that’s not the true picture of success. In the past, I, too, thought the same about success, but life taught me that success is something bigger.
At one point in my life, I wanted to become an actress. I thought success means being an actress, and if I don’t become an actress, I am not successful. This is how I perceived success then. No matter what I achieved, it did not matter to me because it did not fit into my definition of success. I completed my graduation and was working as an assistant director in my dad’s production. I was fit and healthy. I had a wonderful and supportive family. I was already successful, but all these aspects of my life did not matter to me much because I only cared about being an actress.
But I could not become an actress easily. I had several roadblocks. Opportunities would come, but they did not materialize due to various reasons. And at some point, it felt like I will never become an actress in life. I was stuck at this phase, and it hurt me badly because my whole definition of success rested on acting.
No matter what I achieved in other areas of life, I felt like I was not successful due to this one reason of not becoming an actress. Today, when I look back at this phase, I realize my folly of tying my success to just one aspect of life. Being an actress in life is only one aspect. It is not everything, and my success in life does not depend on this alone.
My definition of success evolved with time as I progressed in life. Today, I realize that success is not a destination. It is not about achieving one goal. Achieving goals is only a small aspect of success. Success is a process, a journey. It is constant evolution and progress in life.
Today, success means many things to me. It means having a healthy body and mind. It means connecting with the source and divinity in life. It means being comfortable in my body and with myself. It means spending time with myself, my family members, friends, and having great relationships with everyone around me. It means pursuing things close to my heart. It means living life with passion and zest. Success is a wide spectrum. And I realized I am successful as long as I am giving my best to life.
When I realized this grand dimension of success, the way I looked at my goals and situations in my life changed. I no longer became obsessed with my goals. Up’s and down’s of life did not affect me much. I enjoyed life in its full grandeur with this understanding of success. This perception of success also freed me from the pressure of proving myself to the world. It is liberating.
Today, take some time and reflect on what success means to you. For some time, keep aside all the definitions of success you have been listening since your childhood. Just connect with yourself and reflect on what success means to you. Does it mean living life with passion and purpose? Does it mean having a great family? Does it means earning a good salary? First, get clarity on what success means to you.
If your definition of success is tied to only one aspect of life, it’s time to change your definition of success. Because achieving success in only one aspect of life can never make us happy. We, humans, are beings with many dimensions, and limiting ourselves to one dimension of life is restricting.
For example, if someone has fabulous health but has no wealth or good relationships, is it a success? Or if someone has millions but no family or good health, is it a success? No. Success is not one dimensional. Success is multi-dimensional.
And there is no destination in success because there is no limit to human potential and excellence. We can always become better than what we were yesterday. We can always improve. There is nothing called perfection in life. Everything is continuously evolving and progressing. So, success is a journey – a journey from one milestone to the next milestone.
And I also want to tell you this – you are successful irrespective of what you achieve and don’t achieve. You are more than your goals and wishes. You are a multi-dimensional human being with huge potential and limitless opportunities in life. So, if you don’t achieve your dream grades or your dream job or your dream home, don’t be stuck there, thinking you are a failure. You are much bigger than these things, and there is a lot more to life.
The fact that you are living and enjoying your life is enough to say that you are successful. Life is a celebration of many moments of success! Enjoy your success and celebrate it!
