Things People Don’t Tell You About Success

Today, our efficiency or abilities are most often measured using some metrics – we start believing that our progress or the lack of it is dependent on a number that moves up or down. Achieving set milestones or goals is what gives all of us an air of success.

Take two steps back and ask yourself one very important question – Professionally, who are the people you look up to? And don’t limit yourself to your field of work – take sports, arts, literature – or any other field.

Here is my deconstruction – the person I really look up to is Anthony Bourdain. I started following him many years ago and he has managed to be on top of some of my most favorite things in the world – food, travel, writing and films. I find it very difficult to describe what part of his persona I really look up to. It’s probably how it’s all shaped together. I honestly don’t know any metrics about him – how many awards, how many books… In fact, even if I knew some of the metrics it’s really of no consequence. And doesn’t alter my perception of him.

My hypothesis is that a single vector of progress in anyone’s profession leads to mediocrity in the long run.

Here are my three tenets about Success – the ones that I really believe in.

• Real Success is not measurable – Often, we discuss about relative successes of people we know. We put our benchmarks of money/rank etc. to define and come to some conclusions. We can only do that to benchmark ‘mediocrity’. You will always find it difficult to measure relative successes of Akira Kurosawa, Satyajit Ray and Steven Spielberg or any of your three favorite musicians for that matter. So, please give up on measuring who is more successful – It’s the most average thing you can do with your time.
• Achievements don’t keep you happy, hunger does – All of us have experienced it in our lives. Success is a journey and not some boxes we have ticked. There are many ways to stay hungry – your own way is the way that works for you. For me, the staircases start all over again when I can see a ceiling.
• Success in many paths, is a happy pursuit– Most achievers have many accomplishments in several connected or unconnected fields. Like Anthony, many of the others who are on top of my list are celebrities who have explored many more paths than an average Joe. It’s not easy to start from scratch in one field when you may be close to the pinnacle in the other. One thing to remember is that you may not be happy with how far you go in these other fields. But, you would be happy you went down that path.

The world to me is made of two kinds of people – the interesting ones like Anthony and the not so interesting ones who are constantly trying to measure success.

Go Back