Tuesday, September 27, 2011


Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer

The secret of success is constancy to purpose. - Benjamin Disraeli

Who can really define what success is? They measure it across a few areas. It can be career, health, spiritual, emotional, time or financial. As an example, one can be successful in one’s career but not emotionally.  

Success means different things to different people. For some, monetary reward is a measure of success. Yet others have multiple definition of success. I want to succeed in being happy and it would make me happy to have a legacy of people I left behind who are very successful. Most people think success is a goal. I do not. I see success as a process. Most people define success only in terms of money. I do not. I think success is a combination of things -- health, happiness, material prosperity, love of family and friends, wisdom, influence, and fulfillment.

Here is how I know someone is successful -- If you are able to give from your abundance then you are successful. If you are able to donate money, spread happiness, inspire health, propagate love, share knowledge, motivate people, etc. then you are successful.


For me, I value time with my family. However, my work requires me to work late nights and long hours. I will need to adjust my own definition of success. Which would take priority? Unfortunately my success has been happiness and that was defined as working hard and feeling good about what I got done.

Is it that success means doing what makes you happy or that you're happy when you're successful? I'm leaning toward the first response.

I wonder if one's idea of success changes if they never really meet their goals. Each of us already has a definition of success, whether we realize it or not. To help you find it out, just close your eyes for a moment and imagine how a successful person looks like. Is he rich? Is he famous? Does he ride a limousine? Does he have a lot of friends? Well, whatever it is, that is your definition of success. That’s the image you are after to make yourself successful.

When defining your success, remember this important thing. Success is a journey. It has multiple peaks and not one ultimate pinnacle. One success builds on another. Setbacks and mistake will also help you build success. At different periods of your life, success is defined differently. within any industry. When they achieve a certain level of skills and knowledge and are respected by clients, business partners and industry peers – I have achieved some amount of success as far as my career is concerned. So think hard about your own definition of success.


Overall, I believe that you know you have achieved success when you reach the end of your life and you have no regrets, no qualms or grudges. In psychology they refer to this as "ego integrity." It's probably safe to say that all people work towards this sort of end.

This doesn't mean that you can't make mistakes in your life. Basically,  however, you should have done enough over your lifetime to be at peace with yourself in the end.



There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all. - Peter Drucker