Thursday, August 15, 2019

Students

There Is so much that has been written on the topic of success. Success is envied and there is great aspiration by both individuals and organizations to achieve it. It is therefore no wonder that so much attention has been paid to it. Does the fact that success is synonymous with power make it even more precious to be sought for? How is success achieved and sustained, and what lessons can be learned from those who have ‘been there and done that. The word ‘success' when uttered is perceived in so many various ways as it means differently from person to person and from origination to organization. To some the word success brings Joy, to others it brings fear and for some it is taboo when associated with accumulation of wealth since money is viewed as the root of evil. However, Edwards (2007) stipulates that â€Å"money itself is just information moving about in a system†¦ And it is needed in order to acquire the things we need to live normal, healthy lives. Then, ther e are those who do not even give success a second thought at all. Abraham Moscow, in his model of Hierarchy of Needs indicates that human beings are motivated by unsatisfied needs ND therefore strive to achieve them. What is the secret to success and is there a formula that fits all? This paper is an addition to the statistics on the volumes of papers, articles and books that have been written on the topic of success with a view to understanding further the quest for man's desire to succeed.Definition of Success As stated above, the word ‘success' has different meanings to people or organizations depending on the desires and goals one wants to achieve. However for the sake of coherence of this paper It Is pertinent to have one or two working definitions. According to the Oxford Dictionary (British and World English) the word success has its origins in the Latin word ‘successes' meaning ‘come close after'. However the English definition of success is as follows: â⠂¬Å"It means the accomplishment of an aim or purpose; the attainment of fame, wealth, etc. Or the good or bad outcome of an undertaking. † Bennett (2006) is more comprehensive in that he has incorporated most of what people think on the subject. He has defined ‘success' as: â€Å"Living your dream every day with passion, having true wealth and knowing that there is more that you need. Learning appreciation, gratitude and positively influencing the lives of others in some way. Achieving true happiness by having loved ones with whom to share it all. † Bennett continues to say that success is a game of chance over which one has control.Triggers for Success Napoleon Hill in Chapter 2 of his book Think and Grow Rich emphasizes on having the burning desire to win as the first step to success and that our limitations are only those set up in our minds. However the desire to win does not Just happen on its own, it is generated from somewhere. Some of the contributing fact ors could be hang, frustration of the status quo, need to feel important, poverty, self improvement and responsibilities, Just to mention a few. In this case the position or circumstance that one is in becomes so unbearable that the only option is to seek or look for something better.A good example would be my own case that after working in the same position for over twenty years I became frustrated and in the spirit of self development I embarked on a Journey to find something more meaningful and that was to enroll for the Bachelor of Business Management & Entrepreneurship aerogramme, with a desire to start my own business after completion of training. How to achieve Success The fact of life is that we have all been given the same time frame, twenty four hours a day.What separates us is how the time is managed (Mark Tannin). It is surprising to note that other people spend most of their time doing favors for others, forgetting their own goals. Even though life is unpredictable, we still plan, set goals and take action in order to fulfill our dreams. It is therefore fair to say that our choices and decisions have made us who we are today. In order to succeed, life needs to be engaged at all levels and indecision or procrastination is merely a postponement of it (Sahara -2011).There is no ‘one formula fits all' in terms of success. This is because the nature of success and the approaches employed to achieve it differ from person to person or organization to organization, for instance how far is one willing to go? Success has to be embedded in the subconscious mind so that habits, beliefs and convictions are reinforced (Bennett, 2006). Since the subconscious mind can be programmed then it is approached with a positive mental attitude in that it becomes a tool for remounting all obstacles in your way. Mr..Them Managerial, Founder and Chief Executive of FED Bank, at the inception of his banking business in the early asses lost in processing fees after his ap plication was rejected by the Reserve Bank of Malawi. He was not deterred by the setback but forged ahead to accomplish his quest and he is now one of the few Mammalians reaping the fruits of hard work, persistence, perseverance and determination. Success is sacrifice in that we give up something of value for something else of higher perceived value and persistence can only be achieved through self discipline (Bennett, 2006).In order to be the best performer one goes through a roller coaster of mistakes and it takes a strong will for success to move on. This is echoed by Bennett when he says that mistakes make us better. Success is practice and it demands devotion and discipline. There are challenges and risks in every quest that one embarks on. This is because we leave our comfort zone in search for something better and sometimes in unknown territory. Here the famous story titled Who Moved My Cheese' by Dry. Spencer Johnson comes to mind.The story is about two little people  œ Hem and Haw, and two little mice – Sniff and Scurry who shared the same heap of cheese in the maze. Once the supply was depleted, the two little mice moved on in search off new heap. However Hem and Haw took a little longer in dealing with the predicament they were in. Eventually Haw decided to do something about the situation by going into other areas of the maze in search of new cheese, but Hem was not amused by this idea and decided to stay at the same station hoping that the cheese would reappear.In the end, for Haw and the two little mice, their hard work paid off and hey enjoyed their discovery of new cheese. Changing with the time enables us to keep the dream alive. In transcending fear we let goof limiting beliefs (Sahara, 2011). Fear is retrogressive to success and it is no wonder that only a few manage to live their dream. We should therefore be flexible and strive to approach each day with enthusiasm embracing whatever changes that come in our way as opportunitie s for growth. One way of gaining confidence is by seeking help and being mentored by experts in the field of interest.Associating with greater people makes one to develop like mind thereby moving in the flow of greatness (Bennett, 2006). Enjoying Success Every dose of happiness is precious and should therefore be well guarded. I believe that this is now the highest level in Abraham Mascots Hierarchy of Needs model – self actualization. However, learning is a life-long process, therefore changing with the time will ensure success in the long run. The desire for continuous self improvement is fuel for motivation. Learning to work steadily in a focused direction is smarter than extreme hard work which may be detrimental to one's health (WhiteDove Books, 2008). Philanthropy is viewed by many a successful people such as Bill and Melinda Gates as a way of giving back to society, thus recognition and status are reinforced. What one can learn from this discussion is that success cann ot Just be assumed and it is not so simple. It requires a complete changed mindset and bracing oneself for the tasks ahead by approaching each level with an open mind and maturity. However, everyone has the opportunity to succeed. For instance, Exxon Mobil Corporation the leader in energy has invested heavily in human resource as its backbone for success.

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