What is Success

When my academically inclined daughter decided not to appear for JEE, my husband who is an Electrical Engineer from IIT Mumbai was shocked. Today’s world of IoT (Internet of Things) has so many opportunities for engineers. But the 18 year old was adamant – I don’t want to be an engineer; I want to major in Psychology with a minor in Computers. My husband sighed in relief! And, she joined a liberal arts institution. After the first year, she has decided to change her minor subject to Sociology. So. the father sat her down and explained how computers was an essential skill today in the workplace and was not only necessary to climb the corporate ladder but also to command a higher starting salary……… My husband, like many others, defines success in terms of the money we have in the bank (or in investments), fame, achievements and position in the corporate ladder. What if we decide to change the conversation around success?!?

What if we define success as our very own SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time Bound) goals and achieve them? What if we define success as doing our very best without being attached to a specific outcome? What if we define success as earning enough to satisfy our needs and some occasional wants? What if we define success by our self confidence and courage and belief in our resilience and bounce back from failure without losing our enthusiasm? What if we define success as achieving a balance among the five spaces of our lives – work space, family space, leisure space, holiday space and MY space? What if we define success as defining our boundaries and developing the ability to say No to what we don’t want or what makes us uncomfortable? What if we define success as helping others achieve their goals, keeping a balance of giving and taking? What if we define success as identifying that our fears our holding us back from fulfilling our potential and overcoming them? What if we define success as learning something new each day – reading an article, hearing a podcast, watching a video? What if we define success as the courage to love others and to accept love from them? What if we define success as the ability to hold on to our views which many may disagree with but we know they are the right beliefs to hold on to since we have done the necessary research? What if we define success as persistence, perseverance, grit and determination? What if we define success as appreciating ourselves for all that we do? What if we define success as not blaming others and taking 100% responsibility of our life? What if we are already experiencing success given that our life is filled with abundance – love, health, friends, family, ‘roti, kapda aur makaan’ (literally translated as food, clothing and a home)?