“Hell no!”
There have been many things in life that I have replied to with this. I don’t even remember what those exactly were. But one thing I know for sure is that I will never say “I know” in my life about anything with certainty, because I really don’t know. Ideologies, dreams, apparent paths to success, and almost everything else have changed over time. What I considered of the utmost importance is no longer important. Or what I considered as simple as just telling a lie doesn’t feel so simple anymore. My outlook on life has shifted. And most importantly, my idea of success has changed.
There was a time when my definition of success was just money. At that time, I used to be so surprised seeing people taking vacations for months in India to find inner peace, volunteering in some remote village in Africa, or just doing what they love to do, irrespective of the outcome. That time I was a kid, clearly, because over time I have realized that success is such a relative term that you can’t find any exact parameters to define it. But obviously yes! Some of the most popular and well-recognized ones are a job, salary package, price of car and house, number of zeros after any number between 1-9 in one’s savings account, and whatnot. There was a time I used to imagine what it must take to be under 30 under 30, or 10 most top powerful, or successful or blah blah blah in this field and that. But over time, I realized that’s not all. Professional success can’t be a parameter for mental peace. Many people are financially successful but emotionally drained. But again, at least they have money to entertain them when they are sad.
In my opinion, the truly successful ones are those who can be happy and content with whatever they have. Even better are the ones who can do everything that it takes to be successful yet not be very proud or attached to it. Those who don’t associate themselves with their success. But is that so easy? Theoretically, it sounds easy and fun. In reality, is it even possible? Can one give their all to a particular project and not get emotionally attached to it? That sounds pretty abstract. I think give and take is our intrinsic policy. We take pride in giving our time and effort, especially when we succeed. Which also means that we feel extremely disappointed when we fail after putting in efforts. It’s like a closed loop. To get that happiness we work hard, which may lead to disappointment sometimes. Again, to come out of that disappointment we work harder, which may or may not lead to success. If it does then we look for more success. And the cycle goes on. So in my conclusion, “greed” is the true culprit. The opposite of which is content. And the real question in my life is can I ever be content with where I am today? Definitely no! Because I have achieved nothing to even give this lecture. Because I am nowhere near where I envisioned myself a couple of years back. But with time I am learning to be more conscious about what I dream and want from life. I am choosing my purpose in life. As in how much of what I want and where to put an end to that desire. I am learning to make a balanced life with work, love, peace, and spirituality. Now only time can tell. Let’s see! 🌼
P.S- I just did 2/4 planned activities to get over the habit of procrastination and to be more disciplined.
Anobvious 
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