Success

As we go through life, some of us are able to establish goals and objectives, plan and prepare for what we would like to be as professionals, wish for the things we would like to accomplish and possess. Others of us are not so sure about all this and kind of "go with the flow", which is OK. The common ground for all "thinking" people however, is that at some point we start questioning ourselves and our lives, what kind of person we have become and whether or not we are accomplished or successful individuals. Shrinks around the world are very grateful to this.

So what would be the real meaning of the word success? Who could be considered successful in life? In today's world, the term is increasingly linked to material and worldly achievements, such as owing nice cars and big houses, or climbing the way up in society or corporate ladders. These shallow social values, highly exposed to us by the media, lead people to believe that money and material accomplishments separate the successful from the unsuccessful, and are probably the main source of one of the greatest evils of mankind, something called depression!

As opposed to the way it is usually treated, success may be a very individual and relative thing, and shouldn't be acknowledged when comparisons are made among people or situations. All the outside competition we believe there is, in most facets of our lives, only mislead us when it comes to the true search for success, which is nowhere else but inside ourselves. At the end of the day, the only obstacle capable of keeping one from achieving success is oneself.

Should the CEO be considered more successful than the manager or the supervisor? Should the Hollywood superstar be considered more successful than the supporting actor of an Iranian documentary? Should the world-class athlete be considered more successful than the PE teacher of the neighborhood school? Maybe not!

As the great Yogi Paramahansa Yoganada once said, "Success can only be measured by the extent to which your inner peace and mental control enable you to be happy under all circumstances". In this author's opinion, one doesn't have to be nearly as wise as the great saint, in order to realize how this could be the best motto to live by!