Success

What is success? What does it require? When does it come? How do you know when you have it?

A couple of months ago, around the time of my college graduation, I got into a cordial argument with my parents about success. They were trying to paint me as a success, while I was trying to paint myself as still having a lot to look forward to. I knew it was an argument I wasnt going to win. I knew I wasnt going to convince them that I am not successful yet. Deep down I was trying to convince myself that I am still hungry for success, and that I havent achieved it yet. I guess it made them happy to see me achieve something, and so they could brand me as a successful child of theirs.

However, thinking about this topic for so long has made me realize that success is not just one thing to be achieved at the end of ones life, or after a series of achievements, but it lies within each and every one of those achievements that accrue over time. You are not a success because you earned a PhD, you are a success because you diligently attended classes and contributed to your educational development. You are not a success because you earned a million dollars, you are a success because of your hard work, because of every single dollar you make, laying a foundation for a better future for yourself and your family.

It is not the culmination of all your achievements that make you a success, but every single action- every single achievement on its own.

After a while, I realized that success is a continual thing, achieved everyday, every single moment, and not at the end of a career or a lifetime. This realization caused a paradigm shift in my perceptions. What if I can be a success everyday by doing the little everyday things in life? By helping that old lady cross the street, I have successfully contributed to the womans life; probably even saved her from a vehicular accident. By giving a penny to a poorman, I have successfully contributed to a homeless man's lunch. Wow, I can be a success everyday without even thinking about it.

I believe that the feeling of success comes from happiness. Not joy in what you can achieve, but in the good it brings. When you have the personal conviction that you can contribute (or have contributed) to humanity to the best of your abilities, then you are successful. Some people have that realization at the end of a long career or life,some at the end of the month, and some some at the end of a long day.

This means that anybody can be successful. A toddler that just learned how to walk is successful, so is a 9 year old who resisted telling a lie to his parents, so is the high schooler who made a marked improvement in his math class, and so is the CEO who brought his company into record profits.

Success is an everyday thing. You just have to find it in your everyday lives. A wise man once said: "Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful"

At any stage in life, anywhere you find yourself, you can be successful at anything; just do the best you can, and be the best you can.