Myths of Success
A lot of people want to be successful. When talking about someone famous it generally (not always) is associated with wealth as well. Bling lifestyle is associated with wealth and fame. Fame and fortune seems to be a desire for many. People selling success or how to be successful. It’s become a sales tool for coaches. However, success has many angles it depends on who is talking about it. A kid in Eastern Europe in a small town would probably associate his/her success living in a big city and being able to get around. A kid in London would probably be thinking where and how I can get to do nothing and get lots of cash. It’s very different views. However, is this a success?
What is a success?
If you google it it’s “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose”. There’s no money attached to it. There is no corporate ladder climbing either; no money association; actually there’s no association of any kind. Why then people want to be successful in their jobs? Why then people want to be rich? Is it because they want to show off their success? Why people get so stressed when they don’t get a promotion and a salary raise? I have observed this when I was working in corporate world. I have to confess even I was involved in this vicious circle of imaginary success. I got involved in being ‘successful’ that I forgot what was the purpose and reason. I got to do the same things as my peers did. For instance, I went out for drinks after work. It was called bonding and getting to know each other. I went to parties too. I went out to restaurants. I lived in great places. All of it was associated to success. What for? Who’s judgement? Why it mattered? Thinking about it now, when I am out of it, it was empty. I have been brainwashed by everything around me. I wanted to be successful so I can travel to Italy for a holiday. I wanted a flat of my own so I can have peace and quiet and then get depressed. I wanted to go to all the restaurants so I can show off even if I wasn’t aware of it. Where did this want/need come from? Why suddenly success has a price tag? Since where and when we started associate success with money, fame, bling and materialistic stuff…?
Success = Money = Despair
Why? Because it’s not real! I see it on a daily basis! I am on Facebook or Instagram and I see some coach selling their multimillion dollar courses on ‘how to succeed your financial freedom’. Other people quoting Richard Brandson on how he got rich by having innovative ideas; Steve Jobs is known as a multibillion dollar hippy. We are taught or rather brainwashed to be like these famous figures and associate that to a success. It’s so deep that my friends don’t even notice it. They compete with each other who’s got how many houses or flats. Why? Because they think a success is to have enough income from the properties so they can retire at 30. There’s nothing wrong to retire at 30 and nothing wrong to want a financial freedom. However, what’s sad is the association that people have to a success which equals money then spiral down to a despair. Success doesn’t equal to money; money can certainly bring you freedom but it can never buy a happy soul.
Why despair?
Because if you only chase money thinking this is your success, you will see that when you get to it, you have nothing only a pile of cash. It’s like when I first bought my very expensive pair of shoes. I was so happy going to the shop and thinking ‘here I’ve reached the point when I can go to a shop and get myself a pair of shoes and not think about the price’. I got the shoes. Beautiful pair of shoes but it didn’t make me feel happy or successful. I remember thinking then, why am I not feeling happy? Why am not tasting that success in my mouth? I then realised that it doesn’t matter if I have one pair of expensive shoes or a hundred this will never fulfil my soul. I have the shoes but I have nowhere to show them off because I work 60 hour week. I have my freedom but I am alone. It’s like having a massive castle of gold and sitting there all by yourself being miserable. What happens then? People don’t realise what makes them miserable so they feed into the machine of coaching. Coaches now have become a new way of living. “I help some people to find their path to happiness.” Another complete nonsense and made up term; followers on Instagram or Twitter or Facebook will not give you long term satisfaction. It’s a short term fix. You gain one or two followers whom disappear in a few days or hours. It’s like chasing a massive wave in a sea and then it vanishes a second later. Yes, you enjoy it for that one sweet and brief moment, and it evaporates. What you left with is a feeling of how you were before nothing changed. If you felt despair and unhappiness after that brief moment you go back to your state.
Instead, nurturing the soul and being grateful for what you have will always make you feel good. If your soul is fulfilled the materialistic stuff don’t matter. Shakespeare has always been one of my favourite authors and he wrote: ‘I would give all my fame for a pot of ale, and safety’. — William Shakespeare, King Henry V Simple things that have no price tag is your success.
