Last week, I gave a mathematical equation that elaborated on a holistic approach to live life meaningfully and in a fulfilling way. In that post, I deliberately avoided talking about “success”.
Today I want to talk about success – what should be the meaning of success to us and to what extent we should sacrifice our other interests and priorities that make us happy in life.
We have discussed the recipe for success previously in this blog. You can review the various ingredients for success in the table on the right.
Let me be clear: I am not trying to define success for you.
I wish to draw your attention to certain aspects of your life which will change the meaning of success for you. It will magnify the way you enjoy your success.
Success Ingredients
- Dedication, Hard work, Sincerity
- Homework and Preparation
- Learning from your mistakes/failures
- Learning from others’ experiences
- Finding your passion
- Sticking to your commitments
- Empathizing and helping others
- Having a good education
- Developing life-long learning orientation
- Managing your finances effectively
- Effective Time Management
- Managing Knowledge, Technology
- Managing Relationships, Networking
- Surrounding yourself with people having positive attitudes
- Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening
- Leaving your comfort zone to chase success.
- Remember Success comes before work only in the dictionary!
Let me reproduce here a quote from Phil Knight, the CEO of Nike Inc.:
“There is an immutable conflict at work in life and business, a constant battle between peace and chaos. Neither can be mastered, but both can be influenced. How you go about that is the key to success.”
Phil Knight
Balancing your life, health, happiness, and success makes life sweeter.
Let us pause to think about what Knight has said. If a person believes that their job will lead them to success, then they may spend countless hours per day, and be engrossed with work well into the evening. However, this comes at the cost of their rest, their health and truly living an enjoyable life. Ultimately, they may burn out and cease to be successful at their job anyway.
In contrast, if they believe that success is derived from a strong social life with a good group of friends, they may overlook their duties and their work may suffer. They may lose their job, and eventually, they may be unable to afford going out with friends. In these ways, success, as Knight points out, is helped by balance. Think of it as a balance between work and play.
The balancing act
Passion
Love what you do till you discover what you love doing. Having discovered that – do only what you love – stick on and never detach. When you work on what you love – work is like joy and fun. Always strive for the best in whatever you do or plan to do.
Creative Ideas
Do not be afraid of introducing new ideas. If you have a new idea – cage it. Do not throw it away because it is new and different; instead, celebrate it. Your strange new idea might one day be the one that leads you to success.
Action
Be a Person of Action. Train yourself in performing and acting – rather than analysing and thinking (what we call analysis paralysis). In this world, there is no perfect time to start a business or a project – you must act and solve problems. Remember that action defeats all apprehensions and fears.
Relationships
Build Relationships – Get along with People. It is always a good idea to cultivate good relationships. You can never tell who will prove to become someone who will be able to help you in a big way or even be a good and supportive friend. As such, help people and they may help you; and be good to people, and they may be good for you.
Work & Wealth
Your salary and job title are important as they provide you with wealth and monetary satisfaction. Remember to not let it over-power you.
Health
Your physical and mental health both are very important for your success. A sick body or mind cannot achieve any success.
Emotional well-being
Find adequate free time for yourself and your family so that you can spend quality time with your family and friends.
Spirituality
Devote time for spiritual wellness to seek meaning and purpose in life. It can be achieved in a variety of ways including organized religion, prayer, meditation, yoga, as well as a careful assessment of your morals, values, and beliefs.
On a personal note, I also try to imbibe these habits in my life. Writing this blog is one of my passions, and I am chasing creative ideas every week and bringing them to life with a discipline. There is an emotional pay-off too, since readers and well-wishers send their love after reading my posts. I have a well-managed schedule between my lectures, my yoga classes, my time with my grand-children, and these creative endeavours. I feel blessed to have found this balance.
Do you already follow some of these habits? Let us know what aspects are you striving for to strike the necessary balance in your life in the comments below!
Always informative and insightful.
Self – reflection is must after reading this.
Thank You for sharing this, Sir.
Divyanshu has been one of my favourite students. I love to read this as it comes from him. Thanks Diyanshu! Read more and give me many more comments. Best wishes, Always!
Always informative & knowledge.
Thank you sir for taking the intiative & such wonderful blogs.
Mridula – thank you very much for all your love, respect, encouragement, and support. You are an extraordinary student beyond any doubt.
Really informative. Inspired by all the posts. Thank you sir for sharing this
Shewta,
Thank you very much for your lovely comment….I wish you all the very best. Please remain engaged with the blog by giving less than 10 minutes every weekend. Best..
I really enjoyed reading this piece. Always informative and knowledgeable! ?
Thanks Nidhi for all your cooperation and support. Best.
Insightful ?
Thank you Himali Ma’am! I value your comment. Regards.
The balancing act is really a success ladder a for individuals. Insightful.
Thank you Kalpana Ma’am! You have truly articulated the gist of the post in one line. Please read my blogs and send me more comments in future also. Regards…
Beautiful post! Informative and inspiring!!
Lovely comment from a lovely person….better late than never. Thanks Bret for engaging with my blog….please do it more and more….
Loved it. Really helpful!
Thanks dear Ankit…
Keep it up…read more and provide your feedback….Best wishes…
It really helped change my perspective about success! Thank you for this wonderful insight sir!
Sriansh….you are a structured thinker and have a habit to analyse all that comes before you. I am benefitted a lot from your comments. Keep it up. Regards…
Such an insightful read with practical inputs ?
Thank you dear Shruti…I am glad to learn about your interest in my blog….
Really loved it sir.Beautiful post ?
Thank you very much, dear Yash…
it’s a awestruck sir ! nice one
Loved your brief but sweet comment. But then I know that you can do much more. Please engage with the blog, do some analysis and give somewhat detailed comments….Best…
A very concise and resourceful write up. Very useful for the current generation.
Thanks Dr. Mayank. I am glad that you liked the article. It means a lot to me. Regards.
Your blog was most thought provoking. It makes us realise how important it is to balance all the areas of life to enjoy a fulfilling and enriching life. Thank you so much Sir!!
Great Jyoti Ma’am! Your comments are valuable and motivate me do better. Thank you very much.
Great Jyoti Ma’am! Your comments are valuable and motivate me do better. Thank you very much. Kind regards..
Very insightful write up Sir
The way you have explained the life balance by understanding the bigger picture here is amazing.
Thank you very much Gagandeep! You are a wonderful student. I am proud of you. Best…
Extremely knowledgeable and motivating….. Loved each And every word of it
Thank you very much Pooja…I am glad that you liked the post…
Extremely knowledgeable and motivating….. Loved each And every word of it… Waiting for another one
THANK YOU VERY MUCH…
Another concise yet insightful post, always looking forward to such articles!
Aki…I am glad that you liked the post. Thank you very much…
Loved it!
I am trying to strike a balance.
Thank you dear Manali….I am so happy to see your sweet comment. Glad that you liked the post…
A knowledgeable and insightful article. Love to implement on my life…. Looking forward for more such articles
Lovely comment. Thank you so much Yashdeep..
Its a great blog sir and very insightful for “Gen Z” which includes me also;)
“Isko follow Kar daala toh life life jingalala”
Thanks
Interesting and meaningful both. Very well commented…
Thank you so much…
What a lovely write sir..You have always been an excellent educator who knew exactly how to illuminate a soul with its own light. My Sunday reads are accomplished.
Big thanks….dear Ninad!
What an inspiring peice on success! It really motivates to keep trying new and different things in life.
In pursuit of passion we often fail to put enough focus on important things like our personal life and relationships. Ending up taking them for granted. For people like me who starting with their career this is a very helpful piece of writing.!!!
Lovely comment. Well thought and very well worded…. thank you dear Prashant!
Beautiful Write up sir following some of them will try to follow all
Glad to note your interest in my blogs. Thank you very much, Bhanu!
This is an amazing article sir. Its very important to have a balance between life and work as well as determination to succeed with positive attitude. Your articles are very helpful for everyone. Amazing!!
Thanks dear Subham..
Nice to learn that you are engaging with the blog and forming your opinion on the posts. Keep it up. All the best to you….
Very important topic written beautifully.Work always continues to be the central part of our lives but the happiness from friends and family etc. neutralises the unhappiness at work.
Thank you Ma’am. You have sent a very thoughtful comment. I am happy to note that you are liking my blog posts…
Well written sir, very inspiring and very interesting.
Thanks dear Keertana….
This post has definitely made a strike.
The ingredients to the recipe of Striking a Balance is worth noting down. While going through those ingredients, I kept checking my ingredients list and guess what? I found a few of the ingredients that were missing in my recipe.
Striking a blanace is a process and I, for sure, am going to implement the points you have mentioned. May be slowly but constantly for sure.
Thanks a lot Sir, for sharing it with us.
Good comments. Nice that you are thinking of implementing few suggestions….Best of luck. Please do call me if you require any help.
Love what you do till you discover what you love doing. A perfect one liner for me . Thank u Kapil Sir for inspiring us to strike the balance in our lives too
Good that you got your one-liner from the post. These one-liners have a lot of power and bring a much desired change in a person. Personally, I am a great believer of one liners….
This is really a good and very well written article.
Sir this is also a good blog just like the previous one giving insights about the life and success and how to develop the balance in your life.Sir Thank You so much for giving such insights.
An excellent and thoughtful read… Striking a balance specially the work life is not a myth n is all developed n cultivated by own self… Hope to act in your words Kapil Sir
Excellent…..I am so happy to get this thoughtful comment from a young, and intelligent friend of mine. Thank you Vishal for your lovely words. Please read more posts and let me benefit from your meaningful feedback….Kind regards….
Such a beautiful blog Sir.I enjoyed it thoroughly .Even it’s climax
In today’s fast paced, tech driven world, most people tend to get a little overwhelmed with work and they often find it difficult to strike a work- life balance. Kapil Sir has yet again provided a nice framework – a 3×3 grid that helps define the various aspects that one can keep in mind to strike a balance in life ! I’m sure that if everyone uses this approach and devotes some time to each of these aspects, they are bound to find a far more balanced approach in life !!! Very informative and thought provoking article ! Warm regards, Unni
Great learning sir, very inspirational