Volume 01, Issue 36: Success is Not Final

Many of us are not well prepared for success. We may have been so used to failure that we do not know how to behave when we succeed. A number of us get intoxicated with success. Some of us still, treat success as a destination. When we succeed we feel we have arrived. We want to park and bask in the glory of our achievement. We forget that the world has not stopped just to cheer us on.

Success is not final, it is a journey. It is a step on the staircase that reveals yet more stairs to climb. One success reveals more horizons for us to reach out for. One success is a foundation for the next success, and so on.

It is not time to relax and take glory, but time to strategize on what to know and do for tomorrow’s success. It is time to look at what went well and build on the past success. In fact, one success should impress upon us the urgency to work even harder for the next one.

Today’s success does not guarantee continued success or success in future. The crowning of success does little to advance your next goals. So don’t respond to success by slowing down. Step up your efforts instead. Let your awards inspire you to work even harder.

To have lasting success we must maintain the attitude of the starting point. The edge of zealousness we had to achieve, and the determination to outdo ourselves in the pursuit of our goals must not dull.

We must realize that the things and ways that brought us our current success will not necessarily sustain us or take us to the next level of success. We must innovate and come up with new creative ways of doing things. We must change with the times while maintaining the attitude of the starting point.

It is worth noting that success is not something that happens to us. It is something that happens in us. Our response to it determines how long it will last.

Lillian Chebosi