What does Success mean to you?
Have you ever wondered what exactly success means to you? What is your personal description for the word “Success”? Are you pursuing someone else’s definition of success or your own?
Understanding your personal definition of success is crucial. It shapes your goals and aspirations in life.
Case of a Young Professional, Subarna
Subarna was 24 years old. She approached me as she felt a deep desire to carve a different career. She wasn’t sure what, so we got to work together.
This marked the beginning of her journey towards self-discovery.
She drew a circle on the paper where she was taking notes and making action points for her session. And she said previously this is how my life looked from the time I started working.
If this circle was my life, all of my life was taken up by my work.
All my life was taken up by Work
She then drew another circle and divided it. She stated she wants the triangle to be her work, and the rest will be other aspects of life.
This visualisation highlighted her desire for balance in her life.
WORK
She resonates the voice of many young people who started off working very long hours, being very ambitious and chasing jobs with the best pay packages. After a few years, they felt perhaps they needed to pause and reflect on what next.
Subarna’s early success & Her Backstory:
Subarna was very insecure about money, growing up. She suffered a lot as her parents struggled and fought over money and finances.
At the age of 15, she decided that she would not struggle over money. Instead, she vowed to make a lot of money.
But she is looking for more. She did not find her job very enriching. This is how she described her day at the Gurgaon office.
It left her feeling unfulfilled and questioning her career path.
“People look so depressed and angry with life. There is an air of helplessness. It isn’t without reason that we have the stereotype of sad people working in beautiful glass cabins with plush interiors.
It is so true, you have to get up early, drive a long distance often, dress up, reach office, for what? What do you do all day? Is there work to motivate you and keep you occupied?
Redefining Success: The Crux of the Conversation
Me: “You get paid, don’t you?”
Subarna: “Yes, so we get caged or jailed for the money. How does that feel? How does that work? I can’t be like that every single day. “
And the myth about money and corporate life or a big brand equals success was shattered at her young age of 24 years.
As the session progressed, I understood that she was questioning her idea of success. She thought a well-paying job would be a good definition to last a lifetime. But she realized, it was a reaction to her difficult financial circumstances growing up. This fueled a deep need to pivot to a meaningful career.
Some Reflection Questions to Identify your Success Parameters:
Have you come across older cousins or friends who seem happy and content with their work? Do you have any role models?
If yes, then sit down and ask them the following questions –
- What makes them happy about their work, their career?
- Do they experience a sense of achievement at work?
- Do they feel they have achieved success?
- Are they fit and healthy?
- Ask yourself : “What does money, work, family and friends mean to you?”
And if you cannot figure out, its ok. It’s a good start to get yourself asking these questions.
Think about a person you know who has nourishing meals, a healthy social circle, a good fitness regime and a job that pays decently.
Think about a person you know who has a lavish lifestyle, spends much of their time working sometimes at the cost of family, friends and health.
Which person would you rather be?
If your answer is, “Can’t I have an easy life and lots of money?”
Yes, there is a possibility here. You need to see what financial backing you have, learn investing early, pick a niche profession that may be very lucrative that does not have much supply and maybe you could win the jackpot. It’s a journey and you can reach there.
On the other hand, this does not happen always, and it takes time to build organically. If you are planning to use an ethical route to making money, you will need to invest a significant amount of your time and energy in making your dream career come true. And if that career is something you enjoy, then great, because your days will be filled with joy and abundance.
Reflection Questions: What does Success Mean to You?
Traditionally, people just looked at two aspects of jobs as a young professional:
Title, Income
Your Dream Job has many Aspects
The truth about jobs that has been uncovered and talked about a lot in the recent years includes the following:
- Title
- Income
- Security
- Nature of workplace: colleagues, boss, stress levels,
- Free time
- Family friendly policies
- Space to grow
When you only choose Title and Income, you can become that extremely nerdy kid in your school who always wants to top the class. He would be stressed for much of the year, now imagine being that for all of your life. Because even if you earned a 100 per cent salary hike there will always be someone higher than you. So, it helps to figure out what you want to do and how much will get you there. Competing for the top position in class does not work anymore, because there is no such position in life.
So what do you really want in life? What does success mean to you?
Remember to choose a career that truly aligns with your values and goals. Think and then choose a career that aligns better with your definition of success. Good luck and God bless!
Click here to learn more about how to change your career. How To Make A Successful Career Change? | LifeVidya
If you are keen to understand how choosing a career that aligns and brings joy is a spiritual journey too, do go through this video where a panel answers questions on spirituality, life and careers. You will view Dr. Srividya’s comments after 40 minutes of the video, so you could choose to go directly there too though we encourage you to listen to all aspects and panelists.
Spirituality: What, Why & How | Spirituality & Career| The Youth Asks, A Panel Answers
