Success is not about methods, it is an attitude of the mind….

Those searching for methods, buying books, attending seminars to seek the secrets to Success will be upset with what i am saying here…..“there is not any!”

It is an attitude of the mind – cultivated by parents when we were growing up, if not then, by challenges throughout life’s journey.

Recently a dear friend told of her two young girls’ health challenges due to weather changes, dust and allergies. Sprightly ones who end up being inactive  because of breathing difficulties. But – a big but! Both young girls attended competitions, performances, sat for exams, ie. carried out their committed responsibilities even though they were not well. 

Mind you it is not because their parents are driving them to. Both young girls learnt the spirit of excellence when very young and they self motivate / self regulate well….they are overcomers and conquerors! Their parents did not force them to do things or insist that they must keep up with the Jones or pushed them to top everybody in school.

Instead, the girls have a strong internal mechanism that served them well…both are in the national upper rank in science / maths…[India]

A separate observation confirms the absence of secrets. I was asked to help with an oddity in MS Word doc formatting. After some fiddling i was able to resolve the oddity. I reflected on it…was i that much better than the person who asked? Actually, no I am not. The difference between us is that i am willing to experiment and through trial and error found the solution. This is another mark for success…a strong learning spirit.

Combine a spirit of excellence with perpetual learning mindset - that is a potent force for success.

Those who do not turn every experience into a learning experience, and let others solve the problems for them and those who do not have the internal mechanisms to self motivate / self regulate ….will end up paying too much money to seek that elusive secret.

Parents, i suggest you might want to focus on building / inculcating the need to self motivate / self regulate early in your children’s life. This would be the most essential investment you can ever make in your children because that mindset / attitude will help your children survive anything. Even if you leave behind house, insurance, money, etc…these things are temporal in that the house can be compounded by land authorities, the money is likely to be squandered [because they did not earn it so they won’t cherish it], etc.

I am grateful to my ever-loving Heavenly Father, that though i did not study how to be successful, He has given me life’s challenges [school of hard knocks] and a spirit of excellence and deep learning appetite….i will, with God’s help and His favour, have a path with hope and a future i know that is successful.