Are you Successful?

You certainly know you have reached a new stage in life when you find yourself pondering questions you never thought relevant a few years ago – “what is the meaning of life”, “what legacy, if any, should I leave behind” and my current favorite “how does one define success”.

For some people defining success can be very quick and simple – lots of money, a top perch on the corporate ladder, a big house, fancy cars, etc, etc etc. This is typical for people who have embraced a materialistic lifestyle. In my opinion, these are also the people who are less happy because they measure themselves against the material possessions of others. After all, no matter how big a fish you are, there is always one bigger than you.

On the other side of the spectrum I find people who take joy in the simpler and most basic things in life to define success as – good health, a happy family, a roof above one’s head and food on the table. These are people who prefer contentment over material greed.

I find the first – success defined by material possessions – to generate a sense of hollowness and short-term happiness at best. It is the same feeling I get when I watch Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous and see the folks who live in their 20 bedroom McMansions.

At the same time I find the second definition – of being content as long as the basics are there – to not be adequate enough. Success requires something to strive for so when achieved, it generates a sense of satisfaction.

There must be a middle path.

While the basics – health, family, friends, roof and food should be the foundations for success there is something beyond this that really defines success for me and that is the admiration, respect and love of people – the community around you and humanity at the largest scale.

Rather than measure material gain, in my mind, the more people that admire, love and respect you the more successful you are.

How does one become admired, respected and loved?

Two fundamental ways – a) the pursuit of excellence or b) dedication to a cause for humanity.

The first – pursuit of excellence – can be in academics, sports, music, business, research, etc, etc. Achieving excellence will generate the respect of others. People like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, David Beckham, Sachin Tendulkar, Jamie Dimon, ShahRukh Khan, Adele, etc, etc are successful not because they are wealthy, famous or powerful, it is because they have achieved excellence in their respective field.

Dedicating oneself to a cause for humanity is a powerful way to achieve the respect, admiration and love of people. Examples abound – Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Mother Theresa. One cannot help but respect those who dedicate their lives in the most selfless way to help improve the lives of others and in many cases lose their own lives.

There are a few – and one name comes to mind – who have achieved success through both paths. Bill Gates is a perfect example. It is for this reason and moreso his work to help humanity that I consider him to be the most successful person in my mind ,and this gives me something to keep working on in my own journey toward success.

None of us want to be in our last days on this earth not knowing whether we succeeded in life, but to answer that question you need a clear idea in your mind about what success means to you to work at achieving it.

Asking myself this simple question has helped bring clarity and purpose to my life, and now I ask, what does success mean to you?