Success Is Peace Of Mind

You will be unappreciated, you will be sabotaged, you will not meet all of your expectations and you will experience soul-crushing failures.

I don't mean to sound all "the end is nigh!", but these are just the things that happen in life, especially in a work environment. We all want to be successful and appreciated and given accolades for all the hard work we put in. But most times, we're disappointed because what we believe is the best that we can give in a job, is usually undervalued or goes unappreciated.

John Wooden, who was a ten time NCAA basketball champion and one of the best coaches that UCLA has ever seen, once said that,"Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming". It didn't make much sense to me when I read it for the first time, because the world has conditioned us to equate success with money or praise or a swanky new office space. But the more I grew, the more I understood what he was trying to say.

If you have improved your current situation and if you can look in the mirror and honestly tell yourself that you have done the very best that you possibly can, you have succeeded. Simple? Not really! The toughest thing to do is to be honest with yourself. It's very easy to tell a white lie to someone else and say "I've done the very best that I can!", even though you know very well that you haven't. But it takes true courage to be honest enough with yourself and realise that maybe you could do better, and maybe you really haven't give it your all.

*image from Google

Evaluate yourself, appraise your daily routine and be your own critic before you lay down your weapons and surrender to failure. There are some things that will help you when you compare your past and present self - you'll know how far you've come, how much you've changed and then you'll know that you can be better in the future. I know what I am, and now I realise what I ought not to be and that helps me when I feel like I'm not being given my due in a situation where I feel that I've done the very best that I possibly can.

Whatever your passion, whatever you're doing, be patient. Patience is a virtue that I sorely lack, especially when it comes to unwrapping Christmas presents! But when it comes to achieving a goal, or something that you have long waited for, patience comes in handy. Things don't happen overnight. You can't expect to get a six pack after the first day at the gym, similarly, you can't expect success to happen overnight. Forget the people who constantly try to tear you down and forget those 'frenemies' who are never going to be happy for you. As long as you're patient and as long as you keep trying to outdo yourself, you will have the peace of mind that is so crucial to success.

George Moriarty, who was an author and a big leagues baseball umpire says in his book - The Road Ahead, or The Road Behind:

"Sometimes I think the Fates must grin as we denounce them and insist the only reason we can't win, is the Fates themselves have missed. Yet there lives on the ancient claim: we win or lose within ourselves. The shining trophies on our shelves can never win tomorrow's game. You and I know deeper down, there's always a chance to win the crown. But when we fail to give our best, we simply haven't met the test, of giving all and saving none until the game is really won; of showing what is meant by grit; of playing through when others quit; of playing through, not letting up. It's bearing down that wins the cup. Of dreaming there's a goal ahead; of hoping when our dreams are dead; of praying when our hopes have fled; yet losing, not afraid to fall, if, bravely, we have given all. For who can ask more of a man than giving all within his span. Giving all, it seems to me, is not so far from victory. And so the Fates are seldom wrong, no matter how they twist and wind. It's you and I who make our fates -- we open up or close the gates on the road ahead or the road behind."

Here's hoping that you can brave the fates this new year and work towards all the peace of mind that you deserve. Happy New Year to one and all!

#Success #PeaceofMind #JohnWooden #GeorgeMoriarty