What is SUCCESS

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 🙂.