You must have heard a lot about success mantras, educators, and people telling you to do this and that to achieve success in your life. But what if we tell you that the only formula for succeeding in life is that there is no one formula to success. Sounds vague? Read on…

This is in many cases true, the rule and not the exception—there is no sure shot way towards success. First, Success is not a final destination to pursue, rather a journey by itself. A journey whose tracks are undefined and where most probably at a certain point you’ll end up at various crossroads that will leave you baffled and confused with adversities and challenges, and certainly the desire to quit and return to your comfort zone.

In an intent to give these words a more relatable and meaningful approach, we have met with Lara Darwish, who is a passionate educator and an ICF certified life coach that constantly seeks to add value to the lives of those she comes across. When asked about the path to success, Lara believes that “Life doesn’t work on shortcuts, there is no shortcut to success, your hard work, dedication, perseverance, and skills matter the most. This is the part you are responsible for and the one that is under your control, everything else is part of the hustle. Nonetheless, rest assured that the challenges, adversities, rejection, and every difficulty you go through will eventually fall into place and make perfect sense.”

The life coach adds that giving success our own definition is not only imperative for achieving it, but also for our ability to reach the feeling of contentment and satisfaction. She then adds that “One of the reasons many people who deem themselves successful by social standards yet lack the inner contentment of what they have achieved, is that perhaps their success is not aligned with their inner calling and their own definition of it.”

When asked about adversity, the life coach says, “One thing all entrepreneurs can attest to is that adversity and above all rejection are major parts of success. So perhaps our energy should not be focused on evading adversity altogether, rather on anticipating it when possible and building the skills and resilience we need to overcome it.”

Lara Darwish goes on to discuss what adversity meant to her in her own journey,“ Adversity is a fertile ground, it’s an opportunity to rearrange all the variables in our life differently, perhaps more aligned to who we are.” The renowned life coach adds that overcoming adversity has taught her a lot about herself and helped her discover strengths she never knew she had. “ At times, in the middle of adversity, we are found on a crossroad to either surrender to what may be, or to push through till the end. Nevertheless, in some moments giving up on ourselves is not a choice, so we are left with no other option but to give it our best, and that realization is a turning point.” She adds that this awareness bought her new insights on how to help others not only push through adversity but also find the silver lining in it.

This life coach’s passion is endless! Her aspirations for growth and self-development are admirable, and her desire to help others and share the lessons life has thrown her way, per her,“ is a humbling and fulfilling experience.”

Get to know Lara Darwish, @laradarwish0