There is a desire in all persons to become successful in one way or another. For some, being successful is acquiring or achieving the academic goals set for themselves, while for others it may be achieving that promotion or career that you have been working for all your life. Others may see success in getting married and starting a family, while for others it may be finally acquiring that six-figure salary, the mansion on the hill and the top of the line car. At the end of the day we are all different and for that reason our ideas of success may vary.
There are so many people who stay focused and work every day to acquire a certain lifestyle, or a certain job, or a certain type of marriage and never achieve the ideal that they have envisioned. This concept of success, which is linked to the acquisition of things, or setting rigid timelines for accomplishing certain milestones can therefore become the source of feelings of resentment, anger, frustration, and at times depression.
This is extremely dangerous and why we, at time see individuals, who in our eyes appear to have achieved a certain level of success in life however, are so unhappy that they find themselves abusing alcohol and drugs and may even go as far as to take their own lives.
So, what can we do to combat this?
We need to realize that although there are benefits to achieving a standard of life that allows you to live comfortably enough to not worry about where the next meal will come from, or how we will pay the many bills that we receive each month, this cannot be our only indicator of success.
Success comes from within. It comes from feelings of joy, contentment and an overall satisfaction with your life in general. These feelings are usually achieved when we look outside of our selves and look to see what we can do for the people around us instead of what we can acquire for ourselves out of this world.
For us to achieve true success lets:
1. Surround yourself with positive people, whether family or friends, who genuinely want the best for you. These are people who may not always say the things you want to hear, but who will lovingly continue to push you to become a better version of yourself.
2. Always have a positive attitude and try to bring out the best in the people around you in everything that you do.
3. Take the time to do things that you love and enjoy even if it doesn’t bring you immediate financial gains.
4. Take time to get to know you and objectively see the type of person that you are. This may not be easy, but humility goes a long way on the journey of self-betterment, growth and development.
5. Be kind to yourself and to others and practice forgiveness and tolerance.
If you can accomplish these goals you are well on your way to becoming a happy, healthy and successful individual.