As you reflect on the past year and look into 2014, you will find yourself looking at a series of decisions you made in the past year that may have led to some sort of personal success or failure. Remember, both success and failure are relative. This means that we can follow cookie-cutter approaches executed by others to replicate what we think will work for ourselves and still come up short.
In many cases the success created by one individual can never really be extended to others as success is a personal journey. What this means is that someone else’s success in accomplishing a task or activity could be a failure for you if you try execute the exact some task or activity, and what action may be a success for you can be someone else’s failure.
In most cookie-cutter systems, we may follow models of success that other’s have executed but this again so-called “success” is something driven by personal environmental factors such as family background, education and opportunities along the way.
The most welcoming thing about this concept called “success” is that it can be created, planned, executed, achieved, transformed, and re-engineered at the core of our being. Many of us have heard of that popular saying that “success is a journey.”
Why is success called a journey? When does the journey end? Where does the success journey begin?
Let’s try to answer this from the concept of failure. One definition of failure as defined by Merriam Webster is a “lack of success.” If I look at the meaning of this there is one thing that stands out – it’s the idea that anything perceived as not achieving full success is deemed as failure. So, even partially meeting a goal you may have set for 2013 can be called a failure.
Another definition by Merriam Webster is that it is “a falling short” or a deficiency. Again, the concept of lacking something. Merriam-Webster also defines failure as an “omission of occurrence or performance” such as a failing to perform a specific action such as paying the credit card bill on time.
The focus here is on a specific action driven by personal habits. While keeping good habits are great and we can certainly make our new years resolution to wake up at 5 AM to meditate every morning, there is a really good chance we end up having a late night one month and are unable to make this goal.
Does this mean that we fail?
In my personal opinion – no – for the following three characteristics of success: 1. Full success is impossible to achieve and maintain based on personal environmental factors that are dynamically changing, 2. Any action to move from a state of lack of success, such as developing new habits, can be claimed as success, 3. Success is driven and achieved in the form of personal satisfaction.
Take up an idea, devote yourself to it, struggle on in patience, and the sun will rise for you. ~ Swami Vivekananda
What this means is that failure is ok. Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t achieve a goal. Don’t take physical or violent action against someone else if you don’t meet your objective. The road to what we call personal success is achieved by overcoming obstacles, struggling through an idea, hurdling environmental factors that come in our way.
The road to success is not meant to be easy – it’s an adventure with twists and turns and changing plots in your life. The great thing about success is that it is ever-evolving. Once you think you completed a project or goal, you are now ready for another goal and the mission to achieve further success begins and continues infinitely.
Remember, killing, shooting, stabbing, or violently harming any individual on this road to overcome any obstacle or struggle in life is not achieving success. You may claim it as such, but these are cowardly acts.
Real success is achieved at the mental level when full satisfaction is achieved through righteous action that doesn’t jeopardize you or anyone one on your path.
So go out there and fail. Mentally fight through anything that comes in your way. Keep calm and peacefully change your path as you see fit. Struggle through and you will find success.