Success or failure?
Success or failure?
When we observe people around us, we realize that there is a common element during their life quests: success. It is easy to perceive in the most diverse environments, the appreciation of individuals considered “successful” and to whom people’s attention turns for a certain period of time.
This attraction for success often seems to be a factor that moves human beings, making them use their energies, dedicate themselves to their profession, guide their work and their footsteps.
Even today, new models, techniques, patterns “to be followed”, frequently emerge, which are sold as ways to achieve success in the most varied areas of activity. However, there is a question to be asked: if each human being is unique and has their own way of going and their own talents, could it be that following a standard of conduct might not even make you turn away from what is natural to you and what can bring you real satisfaction?
And what would success be anyway? A concept so present in our world, since ancient times, maybe it can have a meaning that goes beyond the prominent social figures who appear from time to time. Is success only for some or could it be for everyone?
When delving into the word success, we find that it is related to the idea of “success, achievement, point of arrival”. Thus, success would mark the point of arrival at some objective beyond itself.
So, more than necessarily related to fame, status, success can express itself through a deeper feeling that is possible for everyone: that of self-fulfillment, the pleasure of having achieved an objective, of having climbed one more step, putting out an individual potential.
It is certainly valid to recognize and admire good examples, to look for points of knowledge manifested by someone. But how useful is it to measure your own degree of success or define for yourself a point of arrival based on what someone else has achieved?
When we look at nature, we realize that the success of the cherry tree may not be equal to that of the apple tree. By the way, what would happen if cherry trees believed that real success is in producing apples? We would probably never know the taste and usefulness of cherries.
However, both the apple tree and the cherry tree, when producing their best fruits, will serve as an example and encouragement for all those who also want to feel the pleasure of achieving an objective, of manifesting their own potential in their work, in their life.
Would success then be in bearing fruit, in accomplishing something?
Maybe yes, but perhaps it shouldn’t be related only to the specific moment of the achievement, otherwise it would still be limited to a short period of time, would still be ephemeral.
So, we keep contemplating nature and we observe that a tree during, the course of its work, germinates, grows, develops, experiences during a year the conditions of summer, the adversities of autumn and winter, to see the exuberant arrival of the spring and the moment of delivery of its fruits. Would then success be restricted to the spring of flowers and fruits?
More than that: there would be failure in the autumn and winter moments?
Well, we know that if it were not for the successful germination, root growth, processing of sunlight and soil salts day after day, resilience in storms and winter periods, certainly neither flowers nor fruits would be possible.
Thus, we begin to realize that the pleasure and glory of success might not depend on external, ephemeral factors. Perhaps it is possible to experience the feeling of being successful in each daily act, as long as there is awareness of the importance of each step, as long as each act is directed towards fulfilling what nature is, the individual potential of each one.
