“I have always been intrigued by the word SUCCESS but have never been able to define it as accurately as I would have liked to. Let me dig deeper and see if it satisfies my desire to know it in perfect terms. I am sure many of you would also want to know?”
Success is a subjective term that different people define in their contexts. If we were to go by the Merriam-Webster, then Success is
a: degree or measure of succeeding
b: favorable or desired outcome
also: the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence
one that succeeds
So, if we were to break this down for our understanding, then Success is –
- A stable job
- High earnings
- Becoming an expert
- A high position at work is a top sign of success in professional life.
Speaking more philosophically, success, according to Margaret Thatcher, the former UK Prime Minister, is:
“…a mixture of having a flair for what you are doing; knowing that it is not enough, that you have to have hard work and a certain sense of purpose”.
Yet, we all translate success in our way. Only we can define what it means and what gives us a sense of achievement.
We have all created individual definitions of success depending on what we want to achieve. Fame? Fortune? A job we like? The respect of family and friends? A house full of children?
Now, the pertinent question is, how do we know if we have achieved professional success? Success is not a tangible product you can buy from the neighborhood store or find floating on trees. It has to be earned by working 8-9 hours daily, day in and day out.
“I remember my Mom telling me that school was my second home. Now our office has replaced school. My wife jokingly tells me, why did you marry me? You were always married to your work.”
Then, how do we measure our professional success?
- by our bank balance?
- by the number of people affected by our work?
- by the technical skills gained at work?
The answer to these questions remains convoluted, and it stretches our imagination, sometimes at a tangent level.
Success cannot be directly proportional to age. Many well-known people only succeeded in their 40s, 50s, or even 60s. If success was to be defined with age, then what about –
- Stan Lee? At 40, he finally succeeded with Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, and X-Men comics.
- Toni Morrison? At 40, she wrote her first novel. She is a Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning author.
- Nelson Mandela? At 77, after spending 27 years in jail, became South Africa’s president.
- Vera Wang? Her career as a fashion designer began in her 40s.
- Colonel Harland Sanders? The founder of KFC started his career as a restaurateur when he was 62.
- And there are many more.
While talking to people from different walks of life, I asked them what work-life-related elements they consider to be determinants of success. The answer was not surprising.
-More than 3/4 of people said ‘Stable Job.’
-‘High Income’ came close.
These factors were almost equally important for men and women. The people who agreed that high earnings signify professional success were 26-40 years old. In contrast, the ‘Stable Job’ people were 25 years old and below.
The above figures tell us two things:
1) People from 26 years to 40 years are settling down in their careers and aspire for higher incomes
2) People between 25 years and below were starting their careers and looked up to ‘Stable Jobs’ as a precursor to success.
I spoke to some attendees at an awards ceremony where successful Corporators would be felicitated. What is it that they believe they have been successful in their careers? Here are some of the reactions:
- “I have a great salary.”
- “I have a good work-life balance.”
- “I have my dream job.”
- “I have been promoted several times.”
- “I have reached the position I desired from the beginning.”
- “I have the respect of my peers and new employees.”
The responses I got could have been more exciting and, if I say so myself, quite cliched. So, after the ceremony, I asked the people who were not awarded their thoughts on why they had not been successful in their lives. Their retorts were quite hilarious. Take a look-
- “I would have followed my passion. Now I work only to survive.”
- “I barely make any money.”
- “I ‘underachieved’ and could not focus on my goals.”
- “I never reached my potential.”
- “I never could know what my passion was.”
- “I never enjoyed doing anything for money.”
In some cases, careers flourish; in others, many chase titles, positions, and money and feel unsuccessful. Sometimes, it’s good to let it go. But occasionally, it’s good to stay as success has no deadline…Stans, Morrisons, etc.
I am reminded of a beautiful quote from Booker T. Washington, Educator and Presidential Advisor–“I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles he has had to overcome while trying to succeed.” is, how do you measure your personal life success?
Let’s look at the private dimension of success. Is it defined by the size of the apartment, the college degree, or the number of pets? Your guess is as good as mine.
In our Housing Society, we have a weekly Sunday meeting to ensure that residents do not face any problems or if there is any persistent issue that needs immediate attention.
I spoke to some of my fellow residents in one of these meetings about personal life success. Their reactions were amusing.
- Most reiterated that pursuing one’s dreams was proof of success.
- Next, many said having a family is a success for them.
- Some said fulfilment in daily life was a success for them.
- For a number of them, graduation from college was a success.
- Some for whom recognition from family and friends is a sign of personal success.
Almost all of them said one thing similar: private happiness is essential for overall success.
The Positives were:
- “I have a loving family.”
- “I have a comfortable home.”
- “I have a lot of good, loyal and supportive friends.”
- “I have a feeling of satisfaction with life.”
- “I can pay all of my bills and take vacations.”
The Negatives were:
- “I feel like I am working for myself.”
- “I have no romantic prospects at all.”
- “I have no social life.”
- “I feel like I haven’t reached my life goals yet.”
- “I have had two failed marriages.”
- “I don’t know myself that well anymore.”
However, both personal life and career successes have complications. A person who is successful in his personal life may experience failure in his professional life and feel unsuccessful. On the other hand, an affluent, prestigious professional with no family may consider himself unsuccessful.
From these conversations, I can conclude that it is essential to approach “success” holistically. Work satisfaction comes only when one is satisfied with life.
Fifty Shades of Success
Private and professional lives are directly proportional to each other, and they together indicate an overall level of success in life. Our professional world impacts our personal lives.
A 2002 Journal of Organizational Behavior study quoted these sentiments: “Job experiences influence other aspects of life, and otherwise, suggesting that a positive relationship exists between the two variables.”
It becomes difficult to compare career success to personal success objectively. The conception of one is glimpsed through the prism of the latter. We all agree that all aspects of our lives should be considered in understanding success.
My office gang was having a weekend get-together. During one of our discussions, I asked them to rank a mish-mash of professional and private success.
I got this from them based on preference. Of course, the males and females responded almost equally.
1) Family Life for Success
2) Stable Job for Success
3) Satisfaction in Life
4) Dreams fulfillment
5) High Salary for Success
6) Owning A House
7) Graduating from College
8) Restige And Recognition.
9) Fame
For most people I spoke to, a career is nearly equally necessary as family life. If you also wish to take your career to the next level, check out how professional resumes win job interviews.
Despite giving so many choices to the people I spoke to, success is an abstract concept. It still needs to be determined to generalize what makes a success. To make “success” more accurate, I came up with the idea of giving my acquaintances a better choice. What is more important to you, personal or professional success?
Deciding between personal life and career success is challenging. It depends completely on the individual, their priorities in life, and their purpose of success.
Most of them were in complete denial, and all they could come up with was that balancing personal and professional success is equally crucial for them, and they seek balance between them. A handful of them said successful careers, and others said private lives.
