A HAPPY AND SUCCESSFUL NEW YEAR
How many times have these words appeared on Christmas and
New Year's cards? Practically everyone receives at least a few of them each
year, yet how many of us ever pause long enough to ponder the true meaning of the
words?
Because Man is a competitive, as well as a gregarious
creature, the concept of 'success' has been a strongly motivating factor. both
in his thinking and in his actions. For the majority of persons it is,
consciously or unconsciously, one of the cardinal principles of life, and for
some, it is the only one!
The person who feels that he is succeeding can be content,
even in the most rigorous and trying environment, while one who feels he is
failing may be quite miserable, even in the lap of luxury. We do, of course,
incorporate into our philosophy, certain sayings such as, "It is not
whether you win or lose that counts, but how you played the game!"
Such sayings are however, usually ignored by those who believe they are
winning, and are only considered to be useful as a form of consolation to those
who do not. This fact has given rise to other sayings such as, "Nothing
succeeds like success." and, "Success seldom questions the manner of
its achievement."
A problem exists in the fact that, with all of the emphasis
upon, and constant struggle for success, the word itself has never been very
precisely or very 'successfully' defined. Concepts of success are similar to
human fingerprints, in that, while everyone has them, they differ somewhat in
each individual. For example - To the politician, success means receiving more
votes than his opponent. To the criminal it means finding and acquiring a
satisfactory amount of loot without being caught. To the Criminal Attorney,
success is enabling the criminal who has been caught, to escape the
penalty for his crime, etc. In all most any usage of the word success however,
it implies a level of achievement somewhat above the 'average' or the
'norm', but, since almost everyone strives for 'success' in one form or other,
it follows that the 'average' person is one who spends his life trying to prove,
to the world, that he is not!
Although the individual may derive inward satisfaction
from the belief that he is succeeding, his ego will seldom permit him to rest
until he has persuaded his neighbors, his community or the world at large, to
recognize his achievements. For this purpose it is, of course, necessary to
establish some criteria by which success can be recognized, and the degree
of success measured. Dictionaries give but little help here. (Of the three
which the writer has in his office, the most significant definition found was -
SUCCESS - l. a favorable result; wished for ending. 2. the gaining of wealth,
position, etc.) The latter is the most commonly used measure of success since
the acquisition of wealth is a highly competitive activity its achievement is
considered by many to be evidence of superiority. The social position or public
status of the individual, and the power or influence that he or she exercises,
are also considered, by most to be evidence of success, although both of these
are frequently, though not necessarily, the by-product of wealth.
A philosopher once said, "The true success of any
person can be truly judged only by the words engraved upon their tomb!"
This writer had a slightly different idea when, at the age
of 16, he wrote in his 'Notebook of Junior Philosophy' the following words "Erect
no monument to me when I am gone! For if a block of marble in the
public square is needed to remind folks that I once lived, then indeed
my life has been in vain!"
Whatever your hopes and goals for the New Year, we
sincerely wish you the best and most lasting SUCCESS and HAPPINESS!
(signed Daniel W. Fry)
