The measure of success

The measure of success

Most people would think of success on the basis of their academic achievements, positions they occupy at work or the amount of money they have. But is that really what success is about?

Everyone wants to be successful, and some are willing to do whatever it takes to be successful. But, is that a bad thing? Is having ‘better’ things and being more respected because ‘I am rich’ a bad thing?
Most of us think success is being on top and better than anyone else in our field, and having more expensive things than anyone else. But is that real success?
Was Mother Teresa less successful than Donald Trump? Mother Teresa dedicated her life helping people even if it means being poor in the process, and she was happy with that as she believed that’s what she was called to do.

Unless we define success for ourselves before we even start working on it, we may never be successful. So what is the real definition of success. Is there one standard definition of success? According to English dictionary, perhaps yes.
Reaching all YOUR goals is not really a better definition of success than Fulfilling your life’s purpose. This means your man-made goals are less important that God-made life’s purpose. Misalignment between your goals and your life’s purpose is ‘vanity’.

So, here is what I believe is a true definition of success;
A completion or fulfillment of the original purpose and intention for which you were created by God!

It has nothing to do with how much money you have, how many degrees, friends, houses and cars you have. Sadly we spend most of our lives chasing after these as if they are the reason for our existence.

This means we were each born with tools and talents to succeed in completing our purpose, as per manufacturer’s intent. Your purpose could be unique and different from your peers’ and brethren’s, so it is pointless to compete with them. Celebrate their success instead and don’t allow jealousy to distract you from fulfilling the purpose for which you were created.

We don’t have to be a millionaires to be successful. We don’t have to conform to anyone’s standard or live up to anyone’s expectations to be successful. All we have to do is to figure out the purpose for which we were born and try and fulfill that purpose. It starts with this question:
Why am I here?

You are definitely not here to be someone’s slave or doormat, or make someone else rich. You have greatness within you, you are made in the image of the Almighty God!
The very thing you are working hard on today could be further from your purpose. You could be wasting time trying to be successful at ‘wrong things’, perhaps irrelevant things. The very same things you are sacrificing so much for could be not worth it in the end, as it could be not what the manufacturer intended for you to do.

Remember; if you don’t know the purpose of a thing, you tend to abuse it and diminish its value! Chasing after goals not aligned to the purpose for which you were created is vanity, it is like chasing wind! Pigs are not meant to fly, and there are things you are not meant to do and many others you are meant to do.

How do you know you are wasting time doing things you are not meant to do? Lack of passion and not looking forward to a new day could be a sign. Perpetual unhappiness in doing what you are doing. Stop wasting time with vanity, instead start working on fulfilling the real purpose for which you were born. First try and understand manufacturer’s purpose by asking: why am I here?

So, how successful are you? Nobody has the right to judge your success except your manufacturer. Only those who know without a shadow of doubt manufacturer’s intent for your life can judge the level of your success or failure. Anyone else’s judgement is misinformed and useless.
So, Don’t get to the end of your life and realize you spent it chasing wind and trying to please the misinformed. You have greatness within you. You were created for a purpose. Your parents were just vehicles for your creation, they are not the real manufacturers and living your life to meet their expectation could be the very thing that makes you unhappy and unfulfilled.

So, why are you here?