Trek to Success

Success always means different for all of us. We have a special kind of description of what success must be.

One person would say success is having all the awesome material things that a human could wish for. While fame and money is the word success for most individuals. Others might say that just doing your passion is success alone. We have different principles, ideas and opinions. We view life differently.

For me, I perceive success as equivalent to the dreams I have. Well, I think most of us do.

DREAMS=SUCCESS

For all of us who are still on the trek to reach those dreams a.k.a being successful, of course, we have– ‘The Guidelines’, ‘The Rules’. THESE ARE A MUST TO FOLLOW, because we strongly believe it will help us. I know you have yours, and I just want to share mine.

1. Having a dream. (Have courage to achieve it!)

We all have dreams– from typical to the wildest.

And I would not believe it if you would say you don’t have one because it would be a hard and confusing life to live without a dream. Trust me, I had been there and if you’re reason is that, your chosen dream is like impossible to reach so you chose to abandon it. Don’t be!

Believe that everything’s possible! You just have to have the right mindset. Think about it this way;

That famous celebrity you just saw on television,

That personality you’ve seen featured on a magazine,

That inspiring person who got an award,

That girl who sings soulfully on your campus and

That boy who dances incredibly on a competition you just watched.

They are all just ordinary people, until they strive hard to create something special in their lives. Just like us, they were born in this world as another human added to the population of the Earth, until they made their names known, and they’ve done it by being brave enough to make their dreams possible.

Like most of us, they also had a long journey before becoming who they are. A long journey in all shapes and forms, time is given as one, but the hardest thing they had ever faced are the grand amount of challenges and problems, that in return, when they triumphed against all these odds, they had reaped a lavish harvest.

Thus, a human with dreams is like a blank canvas who took time and effort before becoming a masterpiece.

They all started at the very beginning same as where we are now.

So, don’t be afraid to dream a wonderful dream. Even if others might doubt your capacity to reach it– the choice is still up to you. Have courage and believe.

2. Focus.

Sometimes with all those interesting things around us, we easily get distracted and before we know it, we’re drifting away from our precious dreams.

21st century is full of fun and it seems like there’s 0 visibility of boredom, one click and we’re on a vast dimension of entertaining, eye-catching topics, information, videos, music, pictures, animation and endless things. The presence of time seems invisible and before we can actually do a worthwhile action, the day is over. Procrastination seems present all the time even if we say that– we won’t do it again.

Thus, we must keep in mind that–

Everyday is a stepping stone towards our dreams.

What we do today will always have an impact of what we’ll have or be in the future.

But I’m not saying that we should be a total no-fun being, what I just want to imply is, even if fun is always at our door and we tend to indulge to it oftentimes. We must still know where our focus must be. The right amount of self-discipline is all we need, not too much nor few.

3. Be Authentic.

With so many successful people to look up to, we’re free to choose who we gonna make as an inspiration.

I say an inspiration and not to make yourself an imitation.

Surely whoever that is, their works are inspiring and there comes a time of temptation wherein you want to be like them. You want to try the things they did or made because of the idea-prediction that, maybe ‘you will just be where they are now’.

But isn’t it great to think that you succeeded and reached your dreams because of your authenticity?

The you, who’s just being yourself. For sure people would remember you as who you truly are;

The ‘THE’ not just an ‘a’,

The one and not just one of.

We all live different lives and have different stories to tell.

Those who succeeded finished their books.

Some people are almost there, their dreams are closely reachable and their on the verge of finishing their own stories.

And for us, we’re an on-going story.

So you shouldn’t have a second thought in making a unique story line. You should create a wonderful story that you can be proud of telling onto the next generation.

4. Life isn’t a competition nor a race.

Our professor once told us a quotation that still lingers in my mind.

‘Survival of the fittest.’

I can’t remember her exact words, but her idea’s like this– 21st century is full of competent people, everyone wants to succeed, in order to have a good life and with the presence of advanced technologies, everyone has an opportunity to show the world what they got.

So because of the said idea, we as individuals, need to excel in order to be known and succeed. It may not had been said directly, but it brought me the idea– we need to compete with each other to be on top. The best would be the one to succeed.

I may not show it physically, but this principle succumbed me for a long time, even before my professor said those words.

Competing with everything I do. To be called the best among the rest. Where did it lead me?

To nothing…

…but the words pressure and envy.

Well, you see, even if I knew that I am doing my best in everything I do. I constantly feel that it is still not enough, that I should exert more effort– especially if someone’s work is better than mine. At the end of the day, I always end up having doubts on myself, and even if I repeatedly say–

‘Hey! it’s okay, you did your best!’

…the negativity still bugs me.

Exaggerated competitiveness it is. Instead of just living my life and striving hard so that each day may contribute to the fulfillment of my dreams– little by little I noticed that, I was living a life based on other people.

Some may agree and others may not. But for me, competing will lead someone nowhere, it wouldn’t give you the right way to a wonderful future— especially if you feel like you’re being over competitive, to the point that your basing everything you do on what others would do if they were you.

Stop. It would just make you feel like you’re less valuable human than you really are– as you’re just striving hard to surpass the works of others.

You would realize one day that you had wasted a great amount of your life, time and effort, on running a race you would never win– because each of us, has been given an authentic track that is yours and yours alone. So why would you jump into someone else’s and compete with them, when you have your own track and race to win.

A healthy way of thinking about competition would do and it includes understanding and accepting things even if it’s not on your favor.

As long as it has been done on a fair play and ended well– accept it, keep the lessons and then let go of the bad feelings.

As someone who’s still o the trek to success, I’ve learned a lesson that I would forever stick in mind;

Life is not about becoming the best among everyone but becoming the best of yourself. If you have someone to compete with, it is yourself. You should try to be better than your past and become your best future self.

So if someone succeeds on their respective chosen fields, whether a friend, companion or a complete stranger, you shouldn’t be salty nor go over and judge them right away, or worst, place a grand amount of time to overcome them. Instead, we should be happy, and if you prefer, make them an inspiration, or if you don’t want to– then just let them be.

Work hard to also succeed. What we should be is someone who’s striving hard to fulfill his/her good heart’s desire and succeed on our chosen paths– without stepping on someone else’s path and dream.

5. Appreciate what you have.

If I would ask you what is happiness, what would your answer be?

Admit it or not, we oftentimes imagine that if we got everything we love, want and need to have, we would be the happiest.

If we think about being successful it makes us happy, and happiness is being there. Of course we had fulfilled everything we want to. What more can we pray for?

But what about our current situations? Ourselves who are walking pass through challenges and problems before we can be ‘there’.

Aren’t we happy?

Oh, how could we be happy, if we still have many wishes we want to come true?

The answer would be. CONTENTMENT.

Being contented.

On what you are and what you have at present. Enjoying your capabilities and loving what you can do right now (even if you still don’t have those you desire) our present is the best and biggest contributor to our future state. It develops us. So don’t go around ranting about the stuffs that aren’t in your hands, it will not help you get those. Aside from that, it would just add to your burdens.

And if we imagine that everything we desire to have is right in front of our eyes, I bet we would still ask for more and find something else. Still not contented. It’s innate for us humans.

So why not appreciate what we have. Love them and make something right now that we know our future self would be thankful for.

After all, it’s wonderful to wake up everyday anticipating for our dreams to come true. To still do things that will help us achieve our goals. It keeps us motivated, knowing we can still do everything and have the chance to succeed.

6. Work hard and be strong– DON’T GIVE UP.

A dream without action will forever remain a dream, it takes action to be completed and be called a success, to take action needs hard work and a strong heart that never gives up.

Have you ever heard of the quotations–

“A quitter never wins and a winner never quits.”

and

“Try and try until you succeed.”?

I bet you did. Well these are present on every slambook I’d written into, back on elementary days. These quotations may be cliche but what they imply will never fade and forever will remain true.

In life, not everyday you spend would be bright, happy days. There will be those dark, gloomy ones– even called tears day. Of course! to balance out everything but sometimes and oftentimes bad days are greater than good days. Times when you lose, gets disappointed, feel like not good enough or worst good-for-nothing. You got scolded, underestimated, insulted, seems like nothing’s working and you’re getting tired of trying or just plainly feeling down and in need of crying. When these happen– just pause, close your eyes, take a deep breath and know that it is just normal to go through all of these AND these are not reasons and excuses to give up!

Success doesn’t come easily but if you really want to have it, then whatever important thing you’re doing, do it with all your heart and give your best shot. Take chances. Put your dreams into action. Don’t just sit there and think how hard your dreams are to reach, and will eventually give up if it seems impossible for you.

You must not.

Just keep going! and you will not regret anything or have a thousand questions of ‘what if’s’ when you look back on everything you’ve been through.

It’s okay to have mistakes for trying, it’s alright to fall, as long as in every fall you learned from it and then again, stand firm, be ready to work hard and give your best again.

Giving up must never be a part of your options, it’s better to try and fail, than already giving up from the very start.

7. Humble yourself. PUT THE LORD FIRST.

When you got an achievement, had a title, given an honor, became the champion or bagged a big award and all other successful stuffs, all previously sated, will eventually fall in either of the two places– In the Heart or in the Head.

When you let success slip into your head, then you will just be another person who is too proud of himself/herself. An individual who feels like the highest of the highest, on top of everyone and a nobody’s-better-than-me person.

Take note that, even if you got thousands of recognition. You will still be a human, with flaws and faults. A person who still have weaknesses at some point. So don’t feel like you’re the greatest. We are the ‘highest form of The Lord’s creation here on Earth’, but take note that we are just one of the The Lord’s creation, not the Creator Himself.

Wherever you are at your journey to success– at the starting line, in the middle, on the verge or in it already. You, me and all of us, must keep in mind to stay grounded– be humble. Physical respect may easily be gained, but the love and respect given to you by the people that comes from within, is a lot harder to obtain.

Remember that in order for a blank canvas to be a masterpiece it needs to have a great artist. For our lives, that All Great Artist is The Lord. We should keep in mind that whatever recognition we get– it is all because of Him. He is the one who gave us the talent, skills and abilities we enjoy and love to have, as well as the strength we possess in making through every challenges and problems. So don’t go around thinking you did everything on your own. Give the credits to Him.

Humble yourself, put Him first. Let Him direct you and base everything on Him. Then we are assured to find genuine happiness even if we aren’t still yet on our destinations.

Success may mean different in every human.

But I’m praying that whatever dream you wish for will come true (as long as it is intentionally good).

So cheers! To you and me on this journey and I’m hoping to see you somewhere along success.