Success drives us. We are conditioned to setting goals. Results give us a feeling of achievement or disappointment. We go through life chasing success and fighting failures.
A lot depends on our definition of success. The world appreciates and acknowledges us for what we achieve. This conditions us to measure success in terms of the outcomes that are visible. Results being a product of our effort and circumstances, and circumstances not being in our control, outcomes, in spite of our best efforts are not in our control. Therefore pinning our success only to worldly outcomes is a limited understanding of success.
There is another way to approach this. If we set inner development through our actions, as also being a goal we want to achieve, then suddenly we start measuring our success differently.
When we are equanimous before the action – no anxiety and fear, during the action – focussed and fully present in the now, and after the action – neither elated nor dejected, we have succeeded.
When we look at failures not as failures but a milestone in our journey, to learn from and move ahead, we have succeeded.
When we recognise that others have had a huge role to play in our achievements, and we acknowledge them, accepting our achievements with humility, we have succeeded.
When we build our faith, acceptance and perseverance when things don’t go as planned, we have succeeded.
When our discipline and dedication becomes stronger in the face of challenges, we have succeeded.
When we display grace having been beaten squarely, we have succeeded. When we display grace having won squarely, we have succeeded.
When we allow someone else to win, because we know that’s the right thing, we have succeeded.
When we enable someone else to be successful and feel truly happy in their achievements, we have succeeded.
When we care for someone and have been that enriching influence in their life, we have succeeded.
When we slow down our speed to help carry someone else’s burden, we have succeeded.
And every morning when we give gratitude for life, allowing the Higher to flow through us, treating worldly successes and failures as companions and teachers in our journey, seeing Grace in everything, we have truly Succeeded.
It is wonderful to listen to the constancy of your inner voice
Well said
Superb
Beautifully written
Thank you for the daily enlightenment 🙏
Great perspective
absolutely lovely detailing, which can be so necessary – for myself having become hindu some 40 years ago when i was living in NY and visiting india a wonderful parsi gent read me one line from the bhagvad gita – the only thing is to do the work and not even look at the result; in other words there is no success and there is no failure – there is only joy! of course you may have a job with goals to achieve and you may be many ways in which you are measured – none really matters; in another context one of my favourite lines in american theatre is by blanche dubois an elegant but down on her luck lady in Tennessee Williams play a streetcar named desire, Ah’ve always depended on tje kindness of strangers
Thanks for sharing this perspective !
Well said. Never think about the gains. There is nothing such mission accomplished! Keep doing what I am supposed to.
Well said!
So difficult to stay equanimous! I practice Vippassana and equanimity is the cornerstone of the Buddhist teaching. Initially it baffled my mind that staying detached from “outcomes” can actually lead to deeper contentment. As you practice, it becomes evident that the energy you would have spent on your emotional ups and downs can be transferred to something deeper and more fulfilling…
Great examples of success – by looking inwards instead of outwards. Everyone’s definition of success is different and contrary to popular belief it is not necessarily a way to measure ourselves but a path to happiness. Sometimes the small things we do give us the most happiness and in the same way frequent small success can speak louder than a single big one.
That’s very true Shilpa and so beautifully put by you.
A lovely read. One I would want to go back to again and again.