What
is Success?
Valluvar has written A LOT about strategy for success: Dream Big, Set Goals, Develop
a Plan, Act with persisten and Share your Success.
Success
is setting goals to achieve your dreams that come from desires and working
towards achieving them.
Among
the many tools one needs, I would like to indulge you on how Valluvar says
Humility/Humbleness helps in achieving your goals. This applies to a social
professional setting/goal where your success is NOT completely dependent on YOU
ALONE. In fact, unless one is an ascetic sitting in the Hiamalayas and
meditating... we always need others' help, support, buy-in to achieve our
goals. In sports, even in the one-on-one competitions like Tennis where your
performance during the game is ALL YOU, you do depend on your team to get
there!
In
Sales, while pitching an idea we have to get stake-holder buy-in. How does one
achieve that? We need to have a empathetic conversation with them, find out
what they want, what are are the problems they are solving, what their passion
is, what they intent to get out of this effort and tailor the final story line.
Humbleness comes in very handy in such situations.
Successful
people are humble and seek the support/help of others to achieve their goals.
Valluvar
says:
ஆற்றுவார் ஆற்றல் பணிதல்; அது சான்றோர்
மற்றாரை மாற்றும் படை
The
Secret of Success if Humility;
It
is also wisdom's weapon against foes.
Yogi
Shuddhananda Translations:
Humility
is valour's strength
A
force that averts foes at length.
There
is a very nice poem from Neethi veNpaa/நீதிவெண்பா:
பகைசேரு
மெண்ணான்கு
பற்கொண்டே
நன்னா
வகைசேர்
சுவையருந்து
மாபோல்
- தொகைசேர்
பகைவரிட
மெய்யன்பு
பாவித்
தவராற்
சுகமுறுதல்
நல்லோர்
தொழில்.
Just
as the tongue learns to sumptuously enjoy the food in collaboration (buy-in,
stake-holders) with the 32 teeth (we are all familiar with how we can bite our
own tongue!) learned/driven/successful people know how to win those who bear
diametrically opposite views and ideas with a kind and humble approach, like
how the tongue navigates its existence among sharp teeth and uses them to
achieve its goals!
So,
next time, be careful (humble) when you chew/enjoy good food 🙂.
