Four Modern Day Revolutionary Thoughts on Success

Achieving success can be different things to different people. Personally, when I started off in my sporting career, the meaning of success for me was to represent my country at rugby union, which fortunately I achieved at a relatively young age. Despite that being an early personal triumph and success story for myself, I totally appreciate that this is so not the idea of success for millions of other people out there. Success is very much a personal thing, and is based on an individual's lifestyle, their interests, personality, mindset, behaviors and traits. There's no doubt at one time or other, you have come across books on self-help, career management, relationship management, and whatnots written by "experts" along with their thoughts on success. There are books on how to become rich, how to become a true boss and leader as well as other thoughts on success. But what about the billions and billions more of other people out there who are living regular lives? What could be their thoughts on success? Is success limited only to the amount of cash that you generate on a daily basis, the level of importance attributed to you? Turns out, there is more to success than just these things. Success is relative, so they say. But here are some of the most basic types of success that I feel one can encounter in a lifetime. 1.Material success - yes, this is the most obvious of all types of successes, and certainly one of the most overrated. This is the type of success wherein a person is measured by his or her financial status. Sadly, this is the one that most people are aiming for, and it is sad that in a dog-eat-dog world, only few achieve this status. Success of this kind is a double-edged sword for it attracts great danger and betrayal 2.Romantic/Emotional Success - this is usually viewed as the complete opposite of material success. This is the type of success that's quite rare but a joy to find. This means finding a soul mate, being part of a loving family, having great friends, enjoying satisfying relationships, etc. This is defined by the amount of happiness that one is able to feel. 3.Spiritual success - this is the success that is measured by having found one's so-called "peace" or something of the sort. Some people claim to have found "nirvana" because of religion or a newly rekindled passion for it, and this keeps them happy and contented and feeling as if they are truly fulfilled. It is the feeling of knowing something more powerful, more eternal, more important and omnipotent. 4.Career success - this one is the success that is measured by one's status in a certain field or area of expertise. This may or may not entail material success because the focus is on the "genius" or "virtuosity" of the person. It is finding one's true calling and being able to master it - it is being at the top of one's chosen field of expertise. It is living for a certain purpose - a craft, a skill, a branch of knowledge that one has found to give one's life meaning and fulfillment. All in all, there are good sides and bad sides to each of these types of successes. This just goes to say that there really is no single reference for success. Just because one wants to become a champion video game expert instead of a brain surgeon doesn't make one less of a success, and reinforces the point that each person has his or her own definition or thoughts on success.