The 10 Rules of Success

Rule ONE
Success has a different meaning for all

"When god made hands, he gave us ability to work. "

Once there was a famous guru. He had two disciples. When their education was complete, and they were ready to leave, the guru called one of them and asked,
“Now that your education is complete and it is time for you to leave and find your own place in the world, what plans do you have for your future?”
The disciple said, “When I go into the world I will look for success and prosperity.”
The guru gave him a bag full of gold coins, blessed him, and allowed him to leave.
Now the guru called the second disciple and put the same question to him.
He replied, “I will go into the world and achieve success and be prosperous.”
The guru gave him one silver coin, blessed him, and let him go.
There was a passerby resting a few yards away. After both the disciples had left he went up to the guru and asked him why he gave a bag full of gold coins to the man who was going to look for success and prosperity for himself, while he gave only one silver coin to the man who wanted to achieve success on his own.
The guru smiled and replied, ‘the man who is going to look for success and prosperity is unlikely to find it as he will be dependent on external forces for his accomplishments. He will need this bag of gold; it will not last long with him. The second man, he said, ‘is set to achieve success on his own, he will get it. He will also be at peace with himself. He does not need gold from me; he will earn enough for himself. I gave him one silver coin which is what he needs for his bus journey to his destination.’
The passerby thanked the guru and left an enlightened man.

Success is achieving one’s chosen goals. The goals that one aspires for and has worked for, whatever they may be. It is the favorable outcome of our endeavour, it is the realization of what we hold dear to our heart.

Success also has a different meaning for each one of us. For a politician it may be attainment of power, for an entrepreneur, amassing wealth; for an artist, achieving fame; for a family man, raising responsible kids; for an athlete, breaking previous records; for a scientist, the invention or discovery of something new; and for yet another man, it may be the realization that all this is useless and he may feel fulfilled leading a simple life.

Success depends on planning and its execution, not luck. If you wait for luck to shine, it never will you have to go and get it. As the Swedish saying goes, when luck offers a finger, we must take the whole hand. The Greeks say, the wise carries his fortune with him. And Bacon has said, a wise man will make more opportunities than he can find.

Success requires its share of hard work, dedication and perseverance. The politician will have to work for the people to be able to lead them for long; the entrepreneur will have to work on his project to harvest its rewards; the artist will have to practice his art with dedication for a good performance; the family man will have to give time to his kids and teach them values; the athlete will have to develop his stamina and train for his sport to be able to break all records; and the scientist will have to acquire knowledge to make his contribution to the world of science.

Success is a journey, not a destination, you have to move ahead. Climbing the ladder of success is like climbing a mountain. Every peak is a destination, and you climb one peak at a time. Reaching every destination is a challenge well met.

It is a journey that keeps you going. This is what gives meaning to life and the thrill to be alive. The only thing we must guard against is not to get trapped in a race and tire ourselves.