Inspiration: Is winning the same as success?

Today’s inspiration is from the podcast – why winning isn’t always equivalent to success. After listening to the Ted Talk – I found questioning myself. Do we give too much importance to the results and success? If the answer is no, then how do we measure success.

Perhaps this is a fundamental question about the way I’ve been brought up and the emphasis on winning in all the motivational books I read while growing. However, this talk makes me question

• What if I have been focusing on the wrong values? Sure they have helped me achieve a few things. But, has it caused me to lose a part of my personality in the process?
• Is there a different approach that can give me more happiness which is much better than trying to live a competitive life all along?

Is winning the same as success?

I’m certain there are better questions as I think further, but I wanted to implore and ask the same from you. Perhaps, this question makes more sense once you watch the video below.

I’m certainly more interested in your thoughts about the video. It sorta ties very well with the book I am reading – Company of One. The concept is quite simple – it is about living a happy life.

Do we choose success or Happiness as a goal?

As I want to ask this question – Is winning the same as success, I am looking back at my formative years. All through education, it was about getting the best marks and being better than someone else. Now that I look back, I can recognise that it was a horrible goal to focus on.

I didn’t have the maturity to think that these goals or successes are only a small part of the journey. Instead of worrying and stressing myself about winning all the time, I could have gained more by looking at my life as a whole. I can connect this to the feeling of richness and humility about life in general. It makes me recognise that life is a beautiful thing and career success or winning is only a small part. Yes, it feels fantastic to win, but isn’t it worthless if it comes at the cost of your mental peace?

What is success?

Indeed this is a more fundamental question. I don’t want to harbour the same point repeatedly. But you get where I am coming from. The video let me reflecting on selecting the right role models and how we define success. It would be wrong of me to preach what goals you should select or not. It is a personal endeavour. All I would like to highlight is that it is a conscious, careful decision to take. Make sure that you give it the right level of respect it deserves.