"Success": A State of Being




Good evening, all!

I would like to take the time to wish you all a blessed holiday. It seems like it has been forever since I updated this website, and I think it is time for a change.

That brings me to a rather insightful moment I experienced at work. A colleague posed me a question laced with philosophical merits: "Christine, how do you, personally, define success?"

So, how do I?

Simply put, success is not a word one looks up in a dictionary. Success is a state of being. Success is not a feeling.

Success is a way of life. I cannot answer "how do you define success?" because success is not a destination. In my experience, there is no secret formula or differential equation to model it; however, perhaps we can state the question in a way that I believe has more of a cohesive relevance: "how does one strive for success?". Furthermore, I have found three tenets that are of utmost importance when foraging one's path towards success:

Truth, kindness, and honesty.

I define "Truth" as how genuine you are in living a conscious and faithful lifestyle, and how true you are to being a kind human being and giving yourself patience in moments which test you. "Truth" has a multi-faceted definition. Not only do I define "Truth" as how sincere you are to a higher power and overall Goodness, but how "true" you are to yourself.

We live in an age laden with competition. Often individuals find themselves comparing their abilities to that of another's. It is human nature; however, what one must not forget is that each individual has a special purpose in this world. You have a unique set of gifts, which no other possesses. How you apply those skills is ultimately up to you. Thus, how close to "success" one gets starkly depends on how "true" one is with themselves and their purpose.

Kindness is being able to say "hello" to the janitor and CEO with equal respect and sincerity. Not only is kindness testament to your character, it is also a scope of how you perceive yourself. How kind are you to yourself? Are you patient with your shortcomings? When one exudes kindness to others, one is, in turn, belaying that kindness onto oneself. In my experience, the best leaders are those who understand and embrace the paramount substance of kindness. These leaders are not concerned with competition because they know they possess their own gamut of skills in which they are well versed. Furthermore, talent and "smart" work (notice how I did not say "hard" work) speak for themselves. Ultimately, I choose to live my life by exuding as much kindness as I possibly can to others, and not for my own gain.

That is where we must draw a fine line: the purpose of exhibiting kindness is not to glorify oneself. In fact, it is the extreme opposite: to exhibit kindness is to appreciate and acknowledge each other. You should not be kind for the sake of satisfying your own needs. Kindness is an act simply for emulating Goodness and authenticity:

You display it because it is the right thing to do.

Finally, what good is "success" if you are not being honest with yourself? I draw attention to this tenet because I believe this one is possibly the most important. How honest are you with yourself in saying you are content with what you are currently doing? Is your "passion" challenging you and nurturing your professional development, or are you simply buying time? Are you pushing your boundaries, doing things that scare you (in a good way), or are you simply just subjecting yourself to comfort (the danger zone)? To grow, you need to be honest with yourself. You are reading this article because you are sincerely interested in becoming a better version of yourself, which, I must say, is incredible. You are already taking a step in the right direction by being honest with yourself and your aspirations.

However, I believe you cannot life a "successful" lifestyle if you are not being honest in your faith, or to yourself. You cannot live a lie. You need to realize that. You are only hurting yourself if you think that you can talk yourself into liking something, which really has no resonance in your soul.

The best leaders are those who dedicate one-hundred hour workweeks to their craft. Do you think they would devote that time to their businesses if they were not honest with themselves and their passions? They do it because they adore their crafts. And they do their work with joy because they know nothing can take their passion away from them. Open your heart to honesty and it will set you free.

Pure liberation and empowerment.

Thus, I conclude this article on wishing all of you leaders "success" in every walk of life. "Success" is not limited to professional development. In fact, "success" should never be limited to one thing. It is an all-encompassing phenomenon, one that instigates incredible self-realization and growth. I wish you all peace, blessings, and "success" in your lives.

Until next time, ciao!

~Christine




Meet the Author

Christine is a recent college graduate and Chemical Engineer who, from her own young adult perspective, offers advice and resources that answer many questions for young adults entering the professional world. She enjoys reading extensively, technology, coding, traveling, pushing herself to try new things, and mentoring college students. She has a passion for self-improvement, and wants to share it with all her peers!

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