What is Success?

For People at various stages, Success means different things at different times.

• In our childhood, if we won some thing, its a success.
• In our college days, if we the proposed girl / boy accepts your love, its a success.
• In startup world, if you get funded, its a success.
• In business world, if you get listed and make hell a lot of money, its a success.
• In salaried employees, once you retire, you feel you have succeeded.
• For parents, if they get their grown up married, its a success.

When i started up, i always had this in mind that should make my website great and get all the love from customers. It aint easy. But it isn’t impossible for one to achievable.

Around me, i see many people coming up in their life and career. They are happy with what they get. Hope they are.

but if you ask them personally, everyday their view on success changes. every month. every year.

I watched lots of movies wherein hero or heroine succeeds easily in a matter of few hours. same is not possible in real life. but it aims to give motivation to people who want it.

No matter how many inspiring people / movies we tend to watch, we get dissatisfied or battery goes down after a while.

you can keep 24×7 for 365 days motivated. There will be ups and downs. I got to learn this over the period of time.

After i quit Amazon, i came to know about the real me. My abilities, creatives, people around me etc. earlier i was labeled as Amazon employee or software engineer. Even now. 2 years back, my parents used to tell that i am still with Amazon due to society pressures. I think the same thing applies for 99% of the middle class parents in Tamilnadu / India.

I always wanted to do some thing creative. Being Creative and create some thing and enjoy what i have created. When ever i see some thing worked in software i write, i feel i accomplished some thing. I feel great. Whether it makes money or not, i enjoy and feel proud about myself in creating it. it can be imitation or newly created ones.

I ask this question to myself 1000 times or more: Why did i started a company? The fact is I / my family had everything while in job except me dissatisfied with job. But after i quit and started, I am happy and i work hard to make it succeed. Now everyone around are unhappy as i have not progressed in career – life. But they do not know how much i progressed myself.

I would have got everything by now by being in job and my parents and in laws would feel proud, even my wife and tejas. I would have done bad thing for myself. It would have been disaster for me or my selves. why? because i wasnt creating anything. i was just working for money like most of engineers. but once i left the job, i felt better. i could validate myself and thoughts. i could validate my creative thinking. I feel more happy now that i was able to create / imitate something and there are customers for it.

In the process of running it, i have lost many things. spending time with my wife, family etc. but i did satisfy my inner voice. even though there is a debate going within. whether to continue or not. one says to continue. There are always day and night. other says think about tejas (my boy) and my wife and parents, in-laws etc. Its going on for a while.

If i could turn my business into a money making machine, i would feel like i considered it as a success. but it aint easy. But how long should i have to wait? some where i heard that in India it will take 5-10 years in building sustainable and profitable businesses.

Lets see where i will be. But i am sure that i have become a better than before being in job.

This is what people call “Life teaches you Life”

There is no two different things called life and career. Always remember, your career is just part of Life. Your Life is most important with what you gonna do. So, do what you like. It can succeed or it can fail. its all about perspective.

You have succeeded by doing what you like. If you do more, you can succeed financially. you can make your family happy.

I consider Success as

• Being Healthy.
• Do What we Like to do.
• Make enough money for the decent living.
• Travel with friends and families.
• Create Some thing i am proud about.

what is your point of view of success? share your thoughts!