\u201cThe successful warrior is the average man, with\nlaser-like focus\u201d, said legendary martial arts champion and actor Bruce Lee.\nThe Oxford Advanced Learner\u2019s Dictionary defines success as \u201cthe fact that you\nhave achieved something that you want and have been trying to do or get\u201d. It\nalso calls a person or a thing that has achieved a good result as a success.\nUndoubtedly, a general idea of success is common to all which involves the\nsuccinct definition of the dictionary. However, success is a subjective term\nand depends amply upon the reference and the parameters one has set for\nhimself\/herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although the definition for success varies from\nindividual to individual, it never comes for nothing. To achieve the zenith of\none\u2019s goal, willpower, perseverance and incessant effort are required. In this\njourney toward success, some hindrances come, stumbling upon which a person\nmight even fall down. In such a precarious situation, only a person unwilling\nto submit to the ultimatum dares to rise. Such a person not only abhors the\nexcuses of fate, which many people in similar circumstances use, but also\ndefies obstacles and deals with them tactfully. He focuses on analysing the\ncauses of his downfall, and learning from his errors, attempts to overcome the\nhitches on his own rather than letting fate dictate his life\u2019s course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a case in point, the words of one of India\u2019s\ngreatest Presidents, the late Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam ring loud. In his\nautobiography, \u2018Wings of Fire\u2019, he said, \u201cWhy be afraid of difficulties,\nsufferings and problems? When troubles come, try to understand the relevance of\nyour sufferings. Adversity always presents opportunities for introspection\u201d.\nDr. Kalam had an enviable personality with optimism being the hallmark of his\npersona. As a testimony to the affluence of India\u2019s role in space technology,\nDr. Kalam believed that the source of success is \u201cdreams which do not let one\nsleep\u201d. It was this spirit of his intellect and his understanding of human\nnature which, in spite of his impoverished childhood, made him a permanent and\nrespectable figure in the history of our nation. He was also an epitome of\nempathy, proving that victory and humanity can walk hand in hand as he\nrelentlessly worked for this larger good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Knowledge is another facet of success. A person\nwhose constancy lies in acquiring knowledge is sure to become successful in the\nlong run. The phrase that \u2018knowledge is power\u2019 finds greater acceptability in\nthis regard. This power of knowledge is elevated intellectualism, which has\nover the years led to many astounding outcomes. It has not only accelerated a\nperson\u2019s prosperity but has also led toward breaking of overrated stereotypes\nand superstitions. The success of Darwinism is quintessential in this regard.\nThe dawn of the Darwinian Theory led man to see the dogmas of religion\ncritically. The unscientific fundamentals of faith were challenged by the\nintelligentsia with Darwin at the helm. His book, \u2018On the Origin of Species\u2019\nasserted that human life evolved in a systematic pattern which placed the\nindividual at the centre of creation, hence necessitating his progress. As a\nconsequence to this, the rise of Industrial Revolution proved inevitable.\nInventions and discoveries essential to strengthen a country\u2019s economy and\nthereby satisfy man\u2019s materialistic demands were made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over the years, many philosophers have put\nforward their understanding of success. In fact, a lot of self-help books take\nthe matter of achieving a feat seriously. Books of this kind eloquently provide\nways of becoming triumphant. It is often seen that the most successful people\nare those who have fortitude and bravery. It is important to take risks rather\nthan succumbing to the fears of losing if one wishes to set an extraordinary example.\nSuch was the case with J. K. Rowling, Bill Gates, and many others. It is hard\nto believe that a bestselling author like Rowling had her \u2018Harry Potter\u2019 series\nrejected twenty-nine times before being eventually published. It was her\nstrenuous efforts and the ability to think beyond the risks which she took that\nsuccess finally knocked at her door. Bill Gates, on the other hand, dropped out\nof Harvard, thus compromising on a promising career and started Microsoft.\nToday, the former is the richest author while the latter is the richest person\nof the world. However, one should take risks only after taking into account the\npros and cons of the presumed outcome. A few instances should never be\ngeneralised because situations differ from person to person. Rather, true\nwisdom lies in choosing the risks meticulously. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition to that, success is an overarching\nterm which includes the spirit of competition as well. Healthy competition\nhelps in personality development apart from teaching one the ways of the real world.\nOn the other hand, unhealthy competition makes a person contemptuous and\ndishonest. It is important that to achieve the desired ends one should adopt\njust means. Success which stands on the pillars of treachery can never gain\nrespect. Deference is another important sphere of success. It is seen that\nsuccessful people who respect others are admired in return. They loathe pride\nand arrogance that success generally is believed to bring in its train. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Success is a steady process, not an unending\nconquest, despite the widespread belief to the contrary. It should be seen as\nan instrument of encouragement and empowerment. Truly successful people are a\ncountry\u2019s strength as they set paradigms which scores of people follow. Again,\naccomplishment in life must bring happiness to the individual. If success fails\nto bestow bliss upon the person, the entire amount of toil reduces to futility.\nThere are people, who, even after being successful, hardly find themselves\namidst the happy lot. This unhappiness springs from dissatisfaction which in\nturn arises from a person\u2019s failure to comprehend the genuine nature of\nsuccess. It is true that depending upon personal traits and priorities, success\nhas different meanings to different individuals. But what is the point of amassing\nachievement upon achievement if there is no time to enjoy the fruits of one\u2019s\nlabour? Most people tend to forget this. The more victorious they become, the\ngreater their appetite for triumph grows. Greed should never accompany success.\nThis is where the story of Tolstoy\u2019s \u2018How Much Land Does A Man Need?\u2019 deems fit\nto explain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tolstoy\u2019s protagonist in this famous story is a\npeasant named Pahom who believes that if he had enough land, he would not even\nfear the Devil. Although, after a certain period he comes to acquire \u2018enough\u2019\nland, it does not seem to satisfy him and the greed remains unabated. Subsequently, he decides to visit the\nBakshirs who possess vast stretches of land and their Chief agrees to sell him as\nmuch land as he can walk around in one day, with the condition that he must\nreturn to the starting point before sunset. Otherwise, he loses both his money\nand land. In his avarice, Pahom runs as far as possible. Needless to say, by\nthe time he returns to where he had started he becomes exhausted and\nimmediately dies of fatigue. Later, only six feet of land is required to bury\nhis corpse. The irony of the story\nreiterates that if greed comes home with success, the consequences of such\nachievements can be disastrous. \n\nTo conclude, it can be said that every achievement brings a definite\nresponsibility along with it. Human society has always held great expectations\nfrom the successful lot. This so happens because successful people are\nexperienced people. They are seen as the custodians of wisdom who have lived\nthrough failures and criticisms. People look to them in search of hope and\ncourage. A new writer, for instance, would definitely find encouragement in\nRowling\u2019s life-story and so would a start-up in Bill Gates\u2019. Every success,\nthus, has its own path with its specific share of compassion, optimism,\nsagacity and bravery. It is by embarking upon this difficult journey of life\nthat a person is capable of leaving his trails behind and taste glory in the\nend.\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cThe successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus\u201d, said legendary martial arts champion and actor Bruce Lee. The Oxford Advanced Learner\u2019s Dictionary defines success as \u201cthe fact that you have achieved something that you want and have been trying to do or get\u201d. It also calls a person or a thing that has […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=282"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":283,"href":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282\/revisions\/283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}