Redefining Success

Winston Churchill says that success is not final and failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.

One important lesson I learned is not to equate money with success though admittedly money is part and parcel of what success is all about. I do not know anyone who proudly announces that he is successful yet penniless but I know a lot of people who say that they are not successful but their worth goes beyond their height.

On a personal note, I can say that one can be successful in many aspects of his life but not necessarily in life as a whole. One can say that he is a successful father but not a successful businessman. The downside of this particular success as opposed to a universal success is that it seems to elude one’s desire for a universal success.

This brings me to the issue whether or not universal success is possible. Can a person be successful in all aspects of his life? In recent years, Abraham Maslow’s concept of self-actualization continues to receive criticisms on the grounds that self-actualization is not possible. If at all possible, some say that it only applies to few aspects of life but not life in its entirety.

I would say that success has a social component. I call it personal success versus public success. When a person thinks that he is successful in his own right without reference to the public opinion, such private thinking is personal success. However, when a person receives innumerable opinion that he is successful even if such person believes otherwise, the success as I call it is a public success. One may slide from public to private and in reverse. Throughout a person’s life, one may swing from one type of success to another at any point in time without any clear indication. Yes, one can be personally and publicly successful but not successful in all aspects of life; otherwise, he is acting life God.

Indeed, success is failure turned inside out. If you feel like you’re a loser in life, think on how the public thinks about your achievements. Look at the glass half-full. If on the other hand the public thinks that you’re such a loser but you feel otherwise; let the world know that you’re successful. The world will listen.

As Churchill says, have the courage to continue. Never, never, never stop and do not lose your enthusiasm.