'Success is never overnight, it needs to be earned'
Life’s most defining moments do not come from comfortable spaces; it is only when you have worked really hard to achieve something, overcome odds, found resilience at the point of giving up, used flexibility of mind and action to create solutions, known defeat, laughed through your tears, built bridges instead of burning them that you truly understand life, work and purpose.
When you talk to most people who have truly achieved distinction in their lives that go beyond the metrics of money, fame and position, you get to learn that to live an incredibly full life, you must develop razor sharp focus, humility, clarity, discipline and an ability to take the wins and the losses in equal stride.
Most people cling to their perceived success and find it difficult to understand that the learning and the doing never end. They also aim either too high or too low without a clarity in how they wish to get there. They see the fancy executive office with a brilliant view of the city but not the responsibilities resting heavy on the shoulders of the leader.
I had a recent encounter with a young woman who had applied for a position with our organization. She was still in her final year of Bachelors but since she had morning college, she wanted to work. This was in response to an advertisement we had published. She aced the interview, and I was really happy to meet a young person who seemed so determined to learn and make a career. She ticked all the right boxes and was hired. On the second day at work, it felt like she had a meltdown. She came in saying that she couldn’t do a 9 to 5, couldn’t work within an organizational structure, felt that she was missing out on her social life and engagements and that the negotiated salary was not good enough for her. This, for me was a complete flip from everything we had discussed and agreed upon. When told she was probably not the right fit in light of all these sudden conditions, she still wanted to negotiate not realizing that she had already failed at the very basics. I wish her well, I really do. But this was an eye opener for me as to what the new generation deems to be alright in terms of work. It also made me think about where colleges, teachers and parents and guardians probably fail. The very concept of success we tell our young people about needs to be refined and carefully thought out. I don’t know that formula but what I do know is that success is never overnight, it is probably not the metrics we commonly use, and it definitely cannot be demanded, it needs to be earned. Also, sustained success is a skill that requires immense patience, practice and hard work.
I share this in an editorial after a lot of consideration because we stand today in a capsule of time that is evolving very rapidly. The interface with automation and technology is so high that human beings really need to think carefully about holding on to the values that truly make us human. As life gets easier, our capacity to think and use our bodies and minds will diminish in its natural state, what then will we evolve into. And with the passage of time, if survival of the fittest still holds true, will it not be our capacity to think analytically and work physically that will allow us to sustain and thrive.
