SECRET OF SUCCESS

"Success is not really the byproduct of luck but the result of constant efforts and endurance to tough times"

Talking about success I wish to narrate here a story of a man who went in search of gold. He bought a huge area of land where he predicted the availability of gold. He started digging the land alone for several months. Despite persistent efforts, he could not find any gold. Dejected, he sold his land to another man at a very low price. 

The new owner of the land had some feeling that it was worth giving another try.  So he started the work from where the previous owner left. Within 2 feet, he stuck with gold. 

Success never happens overnight. It requires a constant self belief system, persistent attempts in the right direction, with plenty of confidence and enthusiasm. But if you study successful people, they have all the mentioned qualities, but with one addition. The most vital character of all which brings success is "Endurance" during tough times. They give "a little more" and strive "a little longer". 

If the man, despite of trying hard, if he had tried "a little more" and "a little longer", then he would have got the gold. The reason of not achieving success is people quit in the middle. If people show little endurance in tough times, then success would have been theirs. 

So the secret of success is mainly giving "a little more" and enduring  "a little longer". 

SELF ESTEEM

"Success for every person originates from a precious source - Self Esteem"


"No one will respect you unless you don't respect yourself"

 Discussing on the above two facts, a story comes to Mind which I wish to share here. 

 Once upon a time in India, in a small village, there lived a Philosopher who was well known for his wisdom and oratory skills. He often travelled to various kingdoms, and by his unparalleled lectures, impressed the kings and people, and won huge rewards. He was so famous that he was regularly invited by various kingdoms. He lived alone in a very big house, that portrayed all the golds, diamonds, rubies he had amassed by exhibiting his skills. 

  

 But he had a very strange habit. Once he was inside the house, he would close all the doors and windows and lock himself inside. But once he sets out, he leave the house keeping the doors open. Though there was no theft reported, the neighbors were puzzled by his habit. One day, they all joined together and decide to take up the matter with him and advice him to lock the doors when he was away. 

  

The next morning, when the Philosopher was about to leave for a lecture in the nearby kingdom, all the neighbors gathered before his house and asked him. 

“Why don’t you lock the doors when you go out?”

The Philosopher posed a question back “Why I should lock the doors?”

One of the neighbor replied, “You have good deal of precious things inside your house. You can safeguard them by locking the doors!”

The Philosopher said “So! By locking the doors, we can ensure safety of precious things. Right?”

The crowd replied “Yes! That is what we mean!”

"That is what I have been doing", the Philosopher continued, “As far as I am concerned, the most precious thing is this world is only ‘I’. So whenever I am in home, I lock myself. When I am going out, I don’t feel any necessity to lock as all the things here are not at all precious than me”

More than 90% of the people in this world live with low confidence level and low self esteem. All the people want to be respected, but how can other people respect you if you don't respect yourself. Respect has to be earned and not to be got as an offering. To earn respect, we should contribute to get a place in the hearts of other people. 

  

 By helping others by sharing what you possess, either knowledge, money, physical help, biological favor or whatever form, will increase your self confidence and self esteem and ultimately your own respect to yourself. Then all the things will follow suit. 

CROSSING YOUR OWN FRONTIERS

"Expanding the spectrum of your thoughts is the only way to cross your own frontiers"

To start with I wish to share my own experience. I was having a chat with my businessman friend one evening in a cafeteria in Chennai. We discussed on so many topics and then Mahatma Gandhiji came into our subject. 

 

My friend expressed his opinion "I feel very difficult to agree with people calling him 'Mahatma'. He did everything for his own selfishness. His EGO was hurt when he was asked to get out of the train. He wanted to take revenge for that insult and started all those riots and other things". His face was very bright that he has set a new ball rolling for the discussion.   

On the face of it, it might look that he has got a point. But that gave me an opportunity for defence.

   

"That is why people call him a Mahatma", I replied silently. My friend had a puzzled look. 

  

"If you and I were there in that position, we would have slapped the officer or complained to the higher official or to the maximum, filed a suit in the court against him for the insult. Then things would have been over that moment itself. But Gandhiji portrayed the character of a Mahatma in that age itself. He felt that no other "Black Man" in this world, should face such humiliation and lose self respect. So he started his movement against the British. He did not restrict his thoughts to his own self respect but cared for the self respect of the whole population. That is where he proved to be a Mahatma!"

Most of the people are caring only about themselves, their children and their family. Inside every one, there is a desire to become popular and achieve great things. But, unfortunately, they get entangled in the family web and they spend their whole life thinking about their own comfort. So their desires to be a great personality just lie as desires and die as desires. 

Thinking about self and family is not a sin. But they should not be restricted to family circle alone. The welfare thoughts should spread to reach friends, neighbors, company, community, society,  Nation, world and then to the entire Universe.

The truth is that every one has a 'Mahatma' within him. One has to break the fence limiting the thoughts and think beyond. This is the only way to cross your own frontiers and unleash the 'Mahatma' within.

PERCEPTION

"People think that they are always right but reality is much of the times different than what people perceive"

Perception is another activity of the Mind which acts between the reality and Mind registry. Talking about Perception, I read a story long time before, which I would like to share here.

In a train leaving Mumbai, there sat two middle aged women, who were chatting among themselves in a loud tone. They chatted on various topics like family, home, neighbors and so on. In Dadar station, an old man with his son boarded the train and sat in the place right in front of the two ladies. The son of the old man was around 35 years of age.

 When the train started from the station, the son shouted in a thrilling voice "Papa, look at the sky. It is blue in color!"

The old man replied silently "Yes! Munna! It is blue in color!"

 Spontaneously the son shouted "Papa, so many houses!"

 The old man said "Yes! son!"

 The son's voice disturbed the chatting ladies. They felt irritated by the son's behavior!

 The son again shouted "Papa, the birds are flying!". The old man was very calm but his face portrayed the happiness for his son's excitements. But the ladies started becoming restless as they could not tolerate that nuisance.

 The son continued "Papa! see so many trees!", that became too much for the ladies.

They expresses their anger to the old man "See, at this age your son is behaving like a child. Why don't you take him to a hospital for checkup? "

"We are just coming from the hospital" patiently replied the old man, with unchanged smile in his face. "My son had a surgery and this is the first day he is seeing the outside world. He was blind from birth!"

Perceptions always is based on what is programmed in  your Mind all these years. But reality is beyond what you think. Perception is a good tool which can be used only when required. But, to experience the reality as it is, regular mental workouts are required to clear all unwanted cobweb memories. Wish everyone develop a perception-free vision.