how do you mEasurE succEss?

....Sigh.... I shall measure "success" here in the business of living; in other words how to live a successful life. For most people, money and material gains seem to be the most, if not the only important thing in life. They go all out to make as much money as they can. Thousands play the lottery, horse-racing, and other forms of gambling, both legal and illegal. Yet others work themselves to death, slogging day in and day out for the financial gains promised. Some of them do become very rich indeed. They go around in huge gleaming cars and live in sophisticated condominiums and mansions. They are members of some select clubs, wear designer clothes and generally look every inch the kind of successful people so often idealised on Television.

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Rich they may be and successful they may seem, no one knows exactly what goes inside them. They are cases of very rich people who committed suicide. Some shoot themselves, some poison themselves and some starve themselves to death. The obvious thing is that these people are not happy, even with enormous riches. I know of a relative who, despite being very rich, has become senile. Money is no longer of any use to him. He does not even know how to look after his basic needs thus causing immense problems to his family. Therefore, I personally believe that a rich person is not necessarily a happy one.

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In politics, there are many who struggle for power and position. Arguments among Prime Ministers and members of senates or national assemblies, corruptions in governmental system, switching parties by some political leaders, and even some suicide bombings can be read daily in the newspaper in some specific countries. Political parties are plagued by unrest, in-fighting and dissent. One faction tries to oust another. Some members tries to attain a position of some sorts, where he can wield power of some kinds and show importance of some degrees. When all is said and done regarding these happenings to some political leaders I would personally say a succeed political leader is not necessarily a happy one.

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Sport too is not spared this affliction. We read often about sports officials quarrelling with one another. We read too about how some people or teams would go about doing almost anything just to win. Cases of match-fixing and bribery abound. Nasty words are exchanged. Spectators go on the rampage. Players quit, or are sacked. Why do people behave so irresponsibly? The reasons that i can see are: for power, position and riches. Fortune follows fame, riches follow power. "To win is the only thing" becomes the motto of each sportsman involving in our today lives. The struggle goes on, sports stars rise and fall. World champions emerge and then disappear with equal speeds. Countries boycott the Olympics and other international games. Sports and games have become just like politics. Only few, or may be none, are happy. It is therefore a world Champion is not necessarily a happy one.

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In the final analysis, success boils down to only one factor, which is happiness. If one is unhappy with oneself then no amount of external things can alter the fact. I, for one, consider happiness to be the prime importance. The reason are so simple and obvious. Is it not better to be able to walk safely around in public with only a few cents in your pockets than to be loaded with thousands and be afraid of being robbed? Is it not better to be able to travel freely about inconspicuously and enjoy all the wonders around you than to sit hidden in an armour-plated car driven around at breakneck speed fearful of possible assassins? Is it also not better to be able to kick the football about for the fun of it than to get all sorts of abuse when you fail to score the match-winning goal? Finally, is it not better to be able to live each day happily than to be filled with anxieties about how to be rich, or to be famous and in the end find that happiness has eluded you?

These are some destined questions to be answered and clarified since different people have different way of thinking. In very few cases, ones are happy to commit bad things, to deal with some sorts of high risks, to get involved in all kinds of gamblings, so on and so forth so as to afford their so-called happy successful lives. To some extents, hence, it is up to an individual to decide whether or not to choose the right path in order to reach his/her own affordable happy successful life. One has a dream of a lifetime for the success and happiness; it would be a calamity if one dreams of the wrong dream cuz then one would end up with a big retreat in his/her life journey. Thus, success becomes failure; happiness becomes fear; life becomes junk.

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rEbuildinG,