Introduction
Thomas Alva Edison famously justified when his 10,000th attempt to invent the incandescent light did not work, “I have not failed 10,000 times. I have not failed once. I have succeeded in proving that those 10,000 ways will not work. Failing ten thousand times did not motivate Edison to quit. Instead, he made the failures stepping stones to embrace success waiting for him patiently on the next step. Edison failed ten thousand times to succeed once. In fact, Edison’s success comprised of his journey to success, which was interpreted as failure by the world, and success itself. Without trudging the long and hectic path filled with thorns and adversaries, Edison could not have enjoyed success. Thus, if success is our destination, failure is a long road to reach the destination. Otherwise, if one success is worth much more than ten thousand failures, to the resolute and daring, failure is just an insignificant occurrence on the expedition to success.
Everyone is born to succeed. Success is not something one has to go after, but it is always within oneself. Success is nothing but an attitude or state of mind of one who pursues his goal passionately. Success is happiness, and failure is sadness and frustration that haunts the unhappy mind. Often, success is misunderstood for bringing in more materialistic wealth and fame; instead, it is a state of mind. Thus, if success is the destination, failure is the route map leading to the destination of success. Interestingly, to the wise and patient seeker, the journey is more important than the destination itself. In fact, the determined journey qualifies the explorer to become successful in life. In the process of pursuing their dream, the victorious people immunize themselves against failure, which makes them move forward, enlightened. It is this enlightenment that counts more for the successful people than the materialistic wealth and fame that often accompany success. Wealth and fame are thus only the byproducts of being successful. Alternatively, we find a lot of wealthy and famous people who are not happy, implying they are not successful.
How to become successful?
Success is beyond the reach for those who shy away from walking the path leading to the magic destination or those who tire so soon and quit mid-way. Action is the key to success whereas inaction and self-pity are attributed to the failure. Thus, to put it short, conquering inaction with action leads to success. Successful people see possibilities in problems and move forward, however adverse the situation may be while unsuccessful people explore ways for procrastination and inaction, unmindful of the favorable situation. Success is strength and living one’s life to the fullest whereas failure is weakness and a timid journey toward death. Successful people live and act by listening to their inner voice while the failures live by the standards set by others. Henry David Thoreau experimented with success and concluded that if one moved forward with confidence to live his dreams, he would experience success in due course.
The fruit of success
Successful people live a fulfilling life and always influence and touch many lives. They are effective mentors who create a lot of other successful people. Even as their name and fame reach heights they are unperturbed and wear the crown of humbleness always. Success is not a medal or citation one displays with pride in the study, but the energy flow that radiates to others. Great souls like Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa led successful lives by radiating the associated positive energy to millions of others.
Conclusion
At any point of time in our life, we can pause for a while and evaluate our mindset to understand whether we are successful or not. It is advisable to imagine once in a while ourselves on the deathbed, exhausted and helplessly counting the last days. If we are likely to regret at not having accomplished our heart’s desires, it is an indicator of our mental state, failure. We may then list out the things, which on completion may bring us fulfillment. Accomplishing well in advance the things that matter the most when we are on our deathbed will equip us to face death with happiness and contentment. Also, we must take lessons from the successful and unsuccessful people around us. Successful people always inspire us whereas the failures teach us important lessons.
