A View of Success
Just outside the entrance to my apartment building is a makeshift bookstall. The owner is a young man and according to me, he is one of those rare booksellers who are actually interested in books. I am more an observant passer-by often eye-browsing his collection. Yet each time I show some interest, he is willing to pick out of the pile the books that I ask for. What I have observed about his business strategy is that he lays out the bestsellers right in front – catching the eye of a casual stroller and readily available for a seeker. The bestsellers at a stall can tell you a lot about people who live and frequent that neighborhood. Their thoughts, feelings, priorities, and needs. I could not help but notice that most books were “self-help”. How to get more money, how to be better at your job, how to find love, how to thrive in relationships, how to influence people, and so on. There were even books on how to get others to do what you want. Most of these books target achieving a goal or an objective in life.
I enjoy conversing with people, and my conversations have led me to realize over time that success means different things to different people. A cursory reading of quotes on success from famous personalities points to the same. For some, it is a journey, to others a destination. For some, it is about money, to others, it is about love. For some, it is about themselves and to others about the people around them. In short, they help you find ‘your’ definition of success. Self-help books on the subject seem to do the same as well. Although I am glad that we have moved in the right direction as individuals, to accommodate another’s point of success, there is also room to explore why there are so many different views. I can boldly say that we are now able to appreciate that success is not just scoring a centum, or making a six-figure salary, or having the perfect family. Some vestiges live on and render our lives and the pursuit of success unreasonable, unrealistic, or maybe even futile. Hence, I feel that the one part that needs redefining is our framework for success.
We need to put success into perspective, base it on a framework, and ask why we care about it. Imagine successfully nailing a framed painting on the wrong wall! True, you have successfully nailed it but then again, the effort is wasted. My framework for success is based on purpose – a purpose that is driven by God. I try and evaluate if the success I am yearning for is true to my purpose, and in line with it. I believe that our unique inclinations, skills, talents, circumstances, and surroundings all point to our purpose – and we can confirm it with what God has to say about it in the Bible that reveals the plans and purposes of God for us. Our efforts will be fruitful when we reconcile the ‘why’ of success with the ‘what’.
Bestsellers maybe common but successful lives are rare Find your framework and work on your true purpose which is the only real way to success.
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