“I’d rather attempt something great and fail… than try something ordinary and succeed.” – inspiring words from Norman Vincent Peale(author).
I read a story that was published in one of the local news papers here in Jacksonville area. Pearl was a English girl, one could see what a beautiful young girl she must have been, when the fires of youth burned in her eye?with her brilliant coloring and her graceful ways. But now her face had something dead about it, something was missing. She was suffering from leukemia. Andrew was a construction worker lived in my neighbourhood. Even though Drew was very uncomfortable with the process of blood donation, he was so moved by the request that he went ahead and joined the National Marrow Donor Program. He donated few blood samples and about 15 days later he got a call that changed his life. he’d been identified as a potential match for Pearl.
No one in Pearl’s family was a match, and a rare antigen in her blood made it appear unlikely that she would match a stranger. But thanks to Drew’s courage and commitment, Pearl was able to beat the odds. Now, 4 years post transplant, she is studying to become a hematology/oncology nurse.
As Pearl told Drew, “Thank you for being the special person you are. I wouldn’t have made this without you. I’m a living miracle. There are a lot of people with cancer who will not have the chance that I had. But thanks to you, you are a success.”
As Drew says, “I gave from my heart and feel blessed in return. I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again. it is indeed a great success”.
What is success? I am not going to try to define success. I think a precise definition is impossible. Is it winning a Gold Medal at the Olympic Games or winning Wimbledon, or being awarded a Nobel prize? What else? I believe personal success could be anything at all–it does not have to involve public recognition, honoring you with garlends and medals. Who is more successful? A millionaire who is unhappy, or an unnoticed person like construction worker who has led a simple, but happy life?
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To live your life in your own way To reach the goals you’ve set for yourself To be the person you want to be…
The simplest definition of success I think is to set out to do something and to succeed in doing it. It really doesn’t matter what, or how humble the undertaking is.
Believe that you can succeed and you will. Achieving success in whatever endeavor you choose may be the goal of life, because it gives you freedom from worry. Could that be? Success means different things to every one of us. Some people believe it is measured in financial terms, i.e. having wealth; others believe it is helping others rather than helping themselves. A bit of both perhaps?! Or it could be simply achieving for achievement’s sake? Wealth is not defined by your income – but rather by your outcome. Real wealth is not how much money you make but how much is left over. Most financial traps are a result due to a lack of direction, lack of knowledge, and/or a lack of financial control.
Success is such a personal thing. To many people, it is the very root of their being – the reason for existing is to achieve something worthwhile in our lives. To the vast majority of the population it doesn’t matter much whether they want to be successful or not; that’s OK by me, as long as that is what you really want and you are happy with life.
However, most people want and are motivated to a great extent by public recognition and a relentless pursuit of achievement. How many people too are really happy? How many people are really doing what they want to with their lives? Incidentally, the ability to imagine, makes us different from animals.
No matter what motivates you personally…whatever you choose to do with your life, don’t expect instant success. The years of struggle, commitment and learning in excelling at whatever endeavor or trade you choose, is no easy task. I would wholeheartedly agree with that statement. It takes a lot of courage, character and discipline to achieve success in any field. Nearly all successful people have doubted themselves at some point and wanted to give up. Yet they carried on. So many people give up within an inch or two away from the gold in the seam down the mine- a “whisker” away from success. One thing is for sure: success breeds SUCCESS, as it gathers a momentum of its own and you get on a “winning streak”, when everything seems to fit into place.
“To live your life in your own way To reach the goals you’ve set for yourself To be the person you want to be – That is success.” – author anon.
Author: Jeevan Pinto- USA
