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Today in the ‘western world’, there is an insidious belief that success is having access to a large measure of accumulated wealth. Ask a teenager what they want. Most often they will state: “I want to make a lot of money.” Great! Forget about developing skills and talents that are suitable and enjoyable. Disregard contributing to family and society. To be successful you must acquire the means to purchase ‘things’. Lots of dollars will bring you happiness and even respect. What else is there? Many influences feed this delusion. Most potent are advertising, the proliferation of goods and the constant appeal of the ‘latest’ and ‘best’ stuff. These are common allurements of a market driven economy. They motivate many to work long hours. Must have nice clothes, a new car, ‘neat’ furnishings. Lost in this myopic preoccupation with acquiring is an awareness and appreciation of the inner self. “For what profits a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?” This paraphrase of the Bible points out the folly of centering your life on the temporal. For no ‘things’ will ever complete you. No ‘things’ will give you peace. They can provide pleasure and a sense of accomplishment. They can make your life easier and more fun … briefly. But nothing in the physical world will ever bring you lasting happiness and fulfillment. Your life, your true life, is a spiritual, non-physical quest. Your reason for being is to grow spiritually through love. The things of this world can certainly help you achieve this. But they are not ends in themselves. True success therefore should not be confused with what work you do or how much you have acquired.
The inner YOU who is being nurtured by your
loving and caring, the YOU who is radiating more and more warmth
and joy and the YOU who has grown spiritually, this is your
accomplishment … this is your true success!!
RETURN TO SUCCESS DEFINITIONS
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