Success....

How does one define success ? Dictionary definition of success is "an event that accomplishes its intended purpose" or "a state of prosperity or fame".

Success is most of the times loosely linked to money. More money inevitably is suggestive of a person being more successful in view of the world. I will like to link success essentially with Maslow’s pyramid of needs leading to Self-actualization. The point where & when one is aware of oneself & the surroundings. One is happy with one’s situation and able to contribute meaningfully to the society at large.

I define success as having enough money to take care of one’s (with family) basic needs and being able to indulge in one’s passions, desires etc. creatively, i.e. lead a fulfilling life.

For some individuals success means power. Power to create, maybe, for an entrepreneur. For some big shot CEO, it could be his ability to manage & grow his company. For a mother it could be to raise her kids into fine adults.

I also realized the stepping stones to one’s career (& also personal life….since they come to be two sides of the same coin) are laid right at the beginning itself when one opts for a career, unless one takes a conscious stand to go along with one’s aptitude. A doctor will be guided by what he sees to be a successful doctor same with an engineer & a lawyer & so on. A doctor’s definition of success may be vastly different from that of a lawyer.

Of course there always are exceptions. I would say above is true in majority of the cases. Then you also have examples such as Mahatma Gandhi who is perceived to be very successful in his fight against the Britishers but ultimately if you analyze his achievements they are more in terms of contribution to the society than for himself personally. Even Dr.A.P.J. Abdul Kalam our prez, he may never have imagined, the scientist he was, that he may don the president-ship of India anyday. He sure is successful….Yes !

You may also have cases where a person is very successful in his / her career but really screwed up in the personal life. Corporate history has many examples here, the case of Jack Welch..legendary CEO of GE or closer home our very own Bollywood stars as Aamir Khan & Saif Ali Khan. They are successful in their profession yes but not so much in their personal lifes.

So the conclusion I (tend to) reach is that an accurate definition of success is as elusive as the success itself. But someone who’s been able to reach a fair degree of success in the professional & personal life is successful in my opinion.