It is interesting to see what everyone is after in life. Day in and day out, we pursue something so intensely and go to the extent of sacrificing our own inner wellbeing, health, and even our relationships.
To understand what each of us define as success and why we act the way we do, I closely studied the messages of some of today’s prominent leaders and have broken down two of them here.
Former monk, Jay Shetty, who is now an award winning online entrepreneur who hosts his own YouTube channel, uses the Dharma model to talk about passion and success. He says to find success in what you want to achieve, look to find an intersection of these four areas:
1. Doing something you’re good at
2. Doing something that provides value to society
3. Doing something that provides you income
4. Doing something you love
Breaking this down:
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Area 1. Doing something you’re good at– Honing your talent and using your skillset will make your journey enjoyable.
Area 2. Doing something that provides value to society– Providing value to society and solving problems that need attention will give you a sense of value and purpose.
Area 3. Doing something that provides you income- However bitter and forthright this may sound, money is a necessity. Without money, most things in life are not possible. If you’re doing something you are good at that provides value to society while making money, you are probably doing quite well for yourself.
Area 4. Doing something you love- If you have the first three areas in place and you are not enjoying what you are doing, life could be a struggle. It is important you recognize this and try reevaluating what you are doing. Maybe you can find another skillset (Area 1) you are good at that still provides value to society (Area 2) while earning you enough money to live well (Area 3).
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Another perspective of success that offers a profound, yet modest explanation is that of Sadhguru’s. Sadhguru is an enlightened yogi, mystic, and a New York Times bestselling author. He has and is leading worldwide movements to procure our planet’s health by saving our forests and rivers. He says success is when your surroundings are pleasant.
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When your body is pleasant, we call this health.
When your body is very pleasant, we call this pleasure.
When your mind is pleasant, we call this peace.
When your mind is very pleasant, we call this joy.
When your emotions are pleasant, we call this love.
When your emotions are very pleasant, we call this compassion.
When your life energies are pleasant, we call this bliss.
When your life energies are very pleasant, we call this ecstasy.
When your surroundings are pleasant, we call this SUCCESS.
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This perspective offers an applicable definition of success, one that is practical in our daily lives. What we can learn from this is that everything in our lives, that happens around us, may not be in our total control. We may have influence over certain external factors, but we do not have total control over it. However, what happens within us, is totally in our control. The way we feel is in our control. So, if we understand this, no external factor such as circumstance, people’s opinions and thoughts, etc. can affect how we feel internally, within us. Once we master this, our chances of attracting success into our lives increases.
What happens within us, is totally in our control.
No matter what definition of success you apply to your life, there is a pre-requisite that everyone should have.
Good health.
Any small task that needs even mere completion requires the mind and body to be in good health. If you want to increase your chances of becoming successful, then this is essential.
In any explanation of success you study, it’s interesting to see the various perspectives. Something that demotivates someone may be a driving force for someone else’s life. Nevertheless, there is one constant in everyone’s journey of life; the thirst to become successful in anything he or she sets out to do.
What’s your definition of success?