A famous philosopher once said, “Without a rich heart, wealth is an ugly beggar”. Contemplating on these words, I've realized how true they are, and how different most of us view things. To the average person, things like wealth, fame, power, and great achievements spell success. Successful is the one who has already achieved his or her goals and dreams in life. Well, at some point, they're right. But what most of us tend to overlook, what our shallow eyes couldn't see beyond the superficial manifestations of success, is the joy that these so called “successful people” find in what they have, and in who they are. Or at most times, the lack of it.
Normally, from where we're standing, looking at a certain person we consider successful, we would often think that nothing would please us more, make us more content, than to have what this person has, to be like him or her. But what I have found out over the years is that at the end of the day, what really count are the joy and peace that we have within our hearts, as opposed to the material things that usually come with success. A few years ago, Britney Spears was the biggest female pop artist. Going even earlier, Michael Jackson was the King of Pop. Were they successful? Yes they were. Until they realized what they truly wanted.
So what does success really mean? Some confuse it with accomplishment. When we attempt to do things and we get the desired or expected results, that is accomplishment. To others, success is like a string of accomplishments. When you add them all up, you can say that you have been successful with your career, based on the many accomplishments that you had. Success, I believe, is all of this, and much more.
But there is actually no cut and dry definition of success. It is just something that you realize within yourself, a sense or feeling that tells you to stop searching or wanting for more, because you have already found contentment.
I'm probably getting some of you confused now. I can see questions and doubts in the eyes of some of you. What the hell is he talking about? What are these joy and peace crap that he is babbling on? Don't they come along with attaining your goals and dreams in life? Again, at some point, you're right. But success isn't just about fulfilling one's goals and dreams. It also involves making a difference regardless of whether we have accomplished what we had set out to do or not. To quote from Vaclav Havel, the first president of the Czech Republic, “Work for something because it is good, not just because it stands a chance to succeed”. And how I believed in him. Sometimes, we just get too consumed with wanting to succeed in every thing that we endeavor in that we just lose sight of our purpose in this life that is, to touch others' lives and make a difference in this world. Charles Babbage, the father of computers, attempted to create the analytical engine, and he failed to do so. But this failure led to the development of programmable computers and boy, what a big difference did he make. And in that aspect, he was successful.
You see it really doesn't matter much whether what we do or attempt to do produce the results that we wanted or expected. It's our desire to make a change, our willingness to sacrifice, the integrity that we strongly held to in our actions, which really matter. It is knowing that you did your best to achieve something that you are driven to do not only for your sake but for others as well. It is the celebration of your passions, ideals, and beliefs, winning the respect and love of others. And lastly, success, lies not in the great achievements that we made, it is in the joy, peace and humanity that it has brought deep within us.
