“Success is not how high you have climbed, but how you make a positive difference to the world”—Roy T. Bennet
The concept of success has different connotations for different people as one size does not fit all. To some, wealth is what makes a successful life. Others think that being famous is the pinnacle of success. Then there are those for whom happiness is more important than anything else, and yet there are those who consider success as living a life of contentment and balance. These notions vary with not only individuals’ characteristics, but also the environment in which they are raised, the culture in which they grow, the value system they learn from their elders and of course their education, if any.
When a goal is achieved, it is commended as successful while its negative outcome is designated as failure. On the one hand, success can encourage people to pursue different objectives while on the other, it can make them conceited, while failure too can either prompt people to continue with their struggle or may cause them to lose heart. The outcome of any event dictates the code that may either break or build a person’s morale. Of course, there are the many steadfast men and women who continue to persevere amidst all kinds of adverse circumstances in the hope that someday they would be greeted with success.
Gurus’ advice to seekers of favorable results include building a high self-esteem that entails strong belief in one’s abilities; positive attitude anticipating the best possible consequences of one’s efforts as thoughts are like magnets that attract either good or bad ideas; perseverance; taking care of one’s physical health because only a healthy body can house a healthy mind and definitely setting goals each step of the way, aiming a little higher at the accomplishment of one. Putting in one’s best is sometimes denoted as key to success but what is really required to achieve an ambition is nothing less than a fiery passion to push those dynamos within that can send sufficient electrical impulses to trigger off purposive actions. This, however, may not be a sure shot formula to become successful but it definitely provides a stronghold to attempt a second, third or consecutive pull offs.
Many times, failure leaves people completely demoralized. In extreme cases, revengeful or even suicidal, especially in competitive events. Those who lack counselling or do not have supportive families or partners are prone to react more strongly because when confronted with failure, it is crucial to have someone around who has the ability to tone down one’s chaotic emotions and provide the much needed comfort. Failure should not be looked upon like the end of everything. In fact, failure can help one to confront inner weaknesses, review perceptions, change attitude, reconsider variables that are in control and reform execution. Rather than becoming fearful of facing another failure, one must try to remove deficiencies and check out the faltering aspects one can pin-point.
Psychological experts offer useful suggestions to overcome fear and prepare oneself for another bout of challenge. There are certain things which seem to be beyond the control of human beings. These too need to be identified with the aim of removing those hurdles that pop up to reduce chances of success. They could be in relation to improving one’s skills, planning, knowledge, preparedness and even one’s interaction with others. The sense of control by itself has a morale boosting effect in that it diffuses the feelings of helplessness and demoralization. This in turn reduces chances of failure and increases chances of success.
The youth in today’s Pakistan is actually passing through all the above mentioned phases. Due to faulty policies of successive governments, the country is confronted with the worst economic crisis imaginable. Consequently, the young population that is growing rapidly amid an alarming environment of growth retardation is confronted with the vacuum of unemployment as industries are shutting down and job opportunities are on the decline. The few avenues that are available have become so intensely competitive that a substantial part of youth, specifically belonging to lower middle class stratum and rural backgrounds is finding itself poised against an impregnable wall of disappointment when searching for jobs. This phenomenon is particularly visible in the context of federal and provincial civil services examinations where only three chances are available in the backdrop of a cut-throat competition.
Amazingly, a number of coaching centers have sprung up in the country to equip prospective candidates with the right tools to battle their way into the civil bureaucracy. One aspect of this mushrooming growth is the level of employment they have generated, but just like the falling standards of formal educational institutions, along with innumerable tuition academies, all they do is make the candidates adept in solving past papers to obtain maximum numbers in order to outclass their opponents. In other words, it has become more of a rote game than a test of one’s knowledge and its application. Since seats are limited to less than two hundred on an average annually, failures are overwhelmingly large as each year thousands appear for these examinations. Indeed, very devastating for the unsuccessful ones who may have spent many sleepless nights memorizing loads and loads of information.
Unfortunately, Pakistan lacks good counselling practitioners in most educational institutions to enable the young ones to decipher their future course of life with regard to their abilities, market demands and job opportunities. The idea that there is no world other than employment in offices is causing many talented people to digress from pursuing different means of livelihood, specifically when it comes down to manual labor, entertainment industry, creative arts and such occupations that carry an element of disdain or are viewed with scorn by the society even though they could have better income tags compared to remunerative jobs. For those who are stuck because of their mindset and mental attitude towards work, success means a lot, but simultaneously failure throws them in a deep abyss from which recovery is difficult. Therefore, it is important to develop a good understanding of the notion of both success and failure and to open up one’s mind regarding one’s role, duty and responsibility towards this world.