The Six ‘A’s of Success : Swami Tejomayananda ( Chinmaya Mission )

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Thursday, May 04, 2020.

When we aspire to succeed in something, we need to take care that the means and ends are honourable, writes SWAMI TEJOMAYANANDA.

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Introduction :

The simple definition of success is the achievement of a desired goal. If I want something and I get it, then I think I am successful, although that success may not be admirable. For example, when a terrorist strikes, and several people are killed, the perpetrator may call it a successful bomb blast. But surely, it is not a praise-worthy act. Suppose a poorly prepared student wants to pass the examination and he does that by copying, should his success be praised?

Therefore, when we talk about success, we should be clear that not only should the goal be noble, but the means to achieve it should be equally so. Why are some people successful, others not? That brings me to ‘The Six A’s of Success.’

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1 Aptitude: 

It is your natural interest. What is it that you have aptitude for? Many times people are forced to do certain things for which they have no aptitude at all. Their heart is just not in what they are doing. They might achieve what they set out to do, but deep within, they are not happy. This is because their mind is somewhere else.

There are aptitude tests you can take to determine where your interest lies. But the test might reveal that you have an aptitude for more than one thing. What do you do then?

If you are doing something which interests you and for which you have a natural aptitude, there is a greater likelihood that you will succeed in it. So, maybe, through trial and error you can determine where your interests lie. Often times, you know what you have an aptitude for, but there is so much social, economic and familial pressure that you are prevented from following your heart. This is especially true when your interest lies in music, fine arts or sports. Family members will tell you there is no money to be made in those fields, that you should pursue something else. If you give in, you are likely to set yourself up for failure.

In college, I was a student of science. I have often been asked why I took up the study of Vedanta after studying science. I tell them you should ask me why I enrolled in the science programme when I had no interest in that subject at all! I was influenced by what my friends did. They pursued science, so I did, too. Then I discovered I had no interest in that. Luckily, Vedanta came into my life. I realised that it was what I wanted.

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2 Aspiration: 

People may have an aptitude to do something, and even find themselves in situations that allow them to do what they like. But aptitude alone is not enough. You must aspire to achieve success in that particular field, be it in science, commerce, economics, politics, education or social work. The Wright brothers worked in a humble cycle shop, but all the while they aspired to fly. Significant contributions in any field have been made only because the person had great aspiration. Some may call it ambition, but there is a difference between the two. Aspiration is loftier than ambition. It is inspiration driven. It has none of the ego and possessiveness that accompanies ambition. Not every ambitious student who enrolls in the arts or science programme ends up becoming an artist or scientist.

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3 Ability: 

Supposing I want to climb Mount Everest, but if I am unable to walk, will I ever be able to succeed? How can I, given that the basic ability to do that is missing? Ability may be physical or mental. Ability can be called our potential. We want to succeed; yet why do we fail? We’ve got the potential to perform, but the problem is we do not perform upto our potential, or rather, our full potential. Therefore, we put in half hearted efforts .This is the reason for failure.

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4 Application: It is just performing according to our potential. Ability means potential to perform, application is performing upto our potential. Many parents complain that though their children are very talented, they never apply themselves to the task at hand. If you have talent but don’t apply your mind to what you are doing, what can you achieve? Sometimes a person who does not have talent, but applies his mind, is more successful than a person who has the aptitude and ability, but lacks application.

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5 Attitude: 

Life is not very simple. Sometimes you may not get what you want, sometimes you get less than you expected, sometimes more, and at other times you fail. Whether you win or lose, having the right attitude helps. But, what is right attitude?

If you succeed, in success you must have humility. In failure you must have fortitude, patience, trust, and faith in yourself — and also the belief that not having succeeded does not mean the end of life. The suicide rate among students has increased because students give too much importance to only one area of success. The complete idea of success is not there. There are successful sportsmen and successful businessmen whose personal lives are failures. We are not talking of success in a particular field, but in all aspects of life. If you don’t have emotional maturity, you break down. This happens even to brilliant students, because they lack the right attitude.

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6 Altar of dedication: 

When you succeed, whom or what do you dedicate it to? What is your altar of dedication? Haven’t you seen many authors dedicate their literary work to someone — their parents, their teacher, or even their nation? There is a beauty in doing that. Your ego is put aside, and the higher the altar of dedication, the greater the unfoldment of your potential. Your performance itself changes and you undergo a transformation. I read somewhere that an altar in life alters your life.

An altar of dedication is the most important qualification for success in any field. If you offer your abilities and success at the feet of the Lord, or your teacher, or the nation, then your actions become noble. Even if some goals are not reached, you are transformed as a person. That is the real success. Do you want to be a person who owns valuable things, or a person who has good values? It is said a man may be worth a billion dollars and yet be a worthless person.

To all the women students I say: Do not compete with men, because when you start doing that, you are already telling them that they are superior and that you are capable of doing exactly what they are doing. You are great in your own right. There are things you can do and they cannot. Act according to your aptitude. In trying to compete, you may be giving up your natural talent. ■

THE END.

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