The path to success

A popular adage says if you find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere. The path to success is not easy. It does not mean that one sails through life without having to overcome difficulties.  A successful man or woman is the one who meets failures with courage and overcomes them. To be a success means taking failures in one’s stride and overcoming them ndaunted.

In the Shakesperian play Macbeth, we see an example of how his wife was the one who never let him give up on his intent - though an evil intent - to murder.  Her scorn when she exclaimed - “What, we fail!” - urged him to commit the murder he had intended, but was losing courage in carrying out his intentions. Of course, this does not mean that murder is good or acceptable. But it does show that another person can give courage to a man who is undecided.

It is through failures that we learn. If a student fails an examination and then, decides to work harder for the next examination, he will most likely succeed. If he loses heart in the first setback, he will go on continuing to fail. When a person becomes ill and is told that certain foods are not good for him, then he will succeed in overcoming his illness by not partaking those foods.

“Try, try again” is the motto of the successful man. Determination and hard work lead to success. It is not always easy if one falls to rise and face the challenges that life throws up - but it is the only way to success. We must put our good intentions into action in order to succeed. “The path to Hell is paved with good intentions”.  It is useless to have good intentions without putting them into action. If we look at the life of any successful man or woman, we will see that their lives have not been easy. It is the man with courage, who rises when he falls, who will succeed.

Let’s take the example of Mahatma Gandhiji. His determination and life-long struggle to set India free from British colonialism by Ahimsa (non-violence) that led to success - even at the cost of his own life.