What is success?
The question of what is success has been a very important question for which I have sought answers from many people. I have met real rich people, bureaucrats, politicians, businessmen, corrupt people,…………….50 years on the planet allows all this..and the best definition of success was given by a very learned, but uneducated man. He has no degree – thanks to Partition he could not even complete schooling.
He said “When I am 80 years of age…if
1. I can say If I were to live life again, I would repeat what I did,
2. Laugh much more than cry,
3. Have successful human relationships
and if 50 years after my death my son can proudly enter any room in the world without worrying that somebody would say ‘His father got me into trouble’
I would be successful.
So I asked him ‘why 50 years?’ – he said people are afraid of Dons long after they are dead…even fear about me will not be there 50 years later.
I think it is an awesome definition….and if you can sing Frank Sinatra’s song…here it is….that to me would be the icing…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6E2hYDIFDIU
bharat shah
‘ I asked him ‘why 50 years?’ – he said people are afraid of Dons long after they are dead…even fear about me will not be there 50 years later.’
it reminded me one news item in local news paper, though irrelevant to the topic, i like to share:
news item was about the public religious gathering , where one saint advocated against the family planning i.e. one or two kids’ family among Hindu and Jains for understandable reasons , but i surprised that one notable doctor writer also advocated the same citing some biological reason: if you would be two children parents, your succession would last for only 12 heirs in line and if one child parent, only 6 heirs in line.
i do not know or like argue about the validity of the statement, but
surprise why and what should one care after the death.
Jayan
I recently got a call from Director in a company (a very senior person in late 40s-early 50s) asking if your grand mom was a municipal school teacher in South Mumbai (near bhatia hospital) and confirmed her name. I said yes and was surprised how a director in Bangalore knows about her. He then added, I grew up in very poor family, your grand mom paid for my fees because I could not afford it and taught me for free. I have reached this level in life, because of sound foundation she laid in my childhood and have life long gratitude towards her.
As a family, my grand parents themselves had hand to mouth existence. But still as a teacher she could spot that talent in child and did free education. Grand mom left us 30 years back, but even now she is famous for such free education for poor but talented kids, who have now reached huge milestones in their life.
That too me is huge success and awesome investment which rich dividends in gratitude.