What Is It To You?

What is success to you? It is subjective isn’t it? No one definition can really explain the meaning of success because to each is different. To a standard one pupil, success could mean getting a bicycle after months of pleading and brooding. To a teenager it could mean getting a date with the most popular boy/girl in school, while to a salaried worker success could mean getting a promotion after 20 years working in the company.

To a person who has been working for the same company for eight years and who desires to have her own tuition centre, success to me is about resigning my current job and do my business, full time and the money I generate from this business, will be used to open my own tuition centre. However, it doesn’t mean I’m not a successful person by my own right.

I’ve had many successes in life that I’m very proud of. When I was still in school I dreamt of being a university student, carrying thick books around, attending lectures, having educated discussions with my course mates and taking pictures after my convocation with my parents and family. I actually had those vivid images in my mind. I’ve succeeded.

Being a person on the heavy side, I had the desire to look tall and thin and confident during my convocation. I imagined myself working out at the gym, sweating it out and getting the results I wanted. I imagined looking fit and healthy and happy on that special day. I’ve done that (and managed to keep the fat off for some years, but came back to my heavier self now), but hey I’ve done that and it’s not impossible to do it again.

I dreamt of having a career that allows me to meet people (though I started out to be a kera sumbang), so I could learn to be comfortable around people, a career that allows me to have a good life on my own, without having to rely much on others. I had this visual of me, looking splendid, confident with satisfied look on my face, driving my own car that I bought with my own money. I’ve achieved that.

Now I have these images of me and my significant other, with two children in a 21/2 bungalow (hehhe I just saw the house yesterday), with a nice little fountain, a spacious living quarters, lined with floor to ceiling bookcases filled with books of all kinds, living our life happily as a family should be. I have these images of us running our own business, going on travels with our immediate family, lending a helping hand to those in need (especially underprivileged children) and being satisfied and being grateful at the same time. I dream of a life of abundance of happiness, health and lessons to be learnt each day by my children so that they grow up to be a responsible persons to their own lives and others. These visualisations haven’t been manifested yet, but by experience, I know they will be. The power to make it happen is in my hands.

You see, it doesn’t matter if you are making waves around the world for constructing the tallest building in the world, or have just broke the world’s record in being the longest person who can hold his breath underwater, or finally breaking your habit of snacking at night, because when you feel satisfaction in the things you do to achieve those, then it’s your success. We are focussing too much on the many great achievements by people around the world, that we forget to look at our own achievements in life.

Each time you feel the blues, when you’re not where you wanted to be in life, just remember to look back to those day dreaming days when you dreamt of things you wanted to do, see or experience. I’m sure you will find something that will bring the smile back on your face. You’re your greatest motivator. Allah is Great, He made us the way we are so we will always be the most successful person in our mind’s eye. We just have to believe that we’re His most precious creation and take the effort to manifest the images of success we’ve been having for so long now. It’s worth all the blood, sweat and tears.