Steps to Success
Pramod Mishra
In todays’ time, everyone is running for success, instant success!
For a 10th grade student, getting passing marks may be success for some and for other securing even 99% may not be exciting enough. For one person, getting daily regular wage to meet livelihood may be a success but for other, getting 6 figure earning also may be a routine affair.
Sometimes, it is important to understand the true meaning of success. Can success be achieved without putting our best? Is there any shortcut to success? Is it ok to choose unfair means for one’s success? Is success achieved on cost of someone is lasting or temporary? There are many such questions.
In my personal experience, I have observed that any achievement without due effort is very much temporary and comes with lots of side effects which ranges from physical to mental discomfort, both in professional and as well as family life. In simple words, a long period of peace, joy, and happiness may be termed as success. There is no shortcut to success, everyone has to pass through the steps required for the success or accomplishment, whether it is student or professional.
There are three steps of any success:
First step is to find out the things you love and then do it. Choose the things which you find thrilled when you do it you find involved, engrossed, you don’t feel that time has passed few hours seems to be few minutes. This gives you whole lot of energy when you do it. You don’t find yourself exhausted even if you have worked for 12 hours or 14 hours in a day.
Once, a 4th year student asked Prof. M K Vasantha, at IIT Roorkee, what is right time to switch a job? He smiled and guided the class of 2003 batch that whenever there is no enthusiasm to go workplace and your inner voice murmurs “Fir wahi office”, it’s time for a change, you are no more enjoying your job. In 18+ years of job in a single company (over 12 profiles), I never observed such feeling. Thanks to my ecosystem which helped me to envision the change fast and adapt them quickly.
Second step is that you are having a skill in which you are a step ahead of others. Have you specialized your niche whatever you choose? Whatever area, whatever skills you choose you will always encounter some glitches. Explore requirement of skills in the opportunity available to you. The one which you like the most fix at it, while performing other tasks as routines, and then try to master the skill selected. It may take some time but you should be master in that. People should recognize that there is some person X, who is best in his area of expertise and step ahead of time.
I know an expert Dr Rajamani Krishnamurti an icon in power sector. He is a kind of reference in Power System Protections. Another name automatically comes in mind is my guide and all-time favorite Prof. Pramod Agarwal, Elect Engg Department at IIT Roorkee who has got unmatchable command in Power Electronics. Some people have extra ordinary presentation skills, some have exceptional teaching skills and so on so forth. Reaching to the stage of excellence consumes extraordinary efforts with sense of commitment, pursuance and perseverance. It reminds me poem “The height by great man reached and kept…..” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Third step of success is very important and generally people do not focus on this. It is that the objective of our success should not be self-centered, it should be for the benefit of the society, benefit of the world – the masses; in essence for the larger good. It should bring joy to the society and it is helpful for the society.
Let us move on since nothing succeeds like success, and such a success adds purpose to the life, more appropriately makes life more purposeful.
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