Two types of successes; choose yours || Acharya Prashant, with youth (2013)

Speaker: The question is, ‘What is success?’ To how many of us this question is important?

(Many listeners raise their hands)

So the question is not only of Varun (one of the listeners) but belongs to many others as well. Let all of us listen to it very carefully.

There are two ways in which we can look at success.

The first way comes from the brain, which is a product of evolution and is continuously afraid. The archetype of this type of success is exemplified by the event of examinations. So today you are here, a date-sheet comes, examinations are announced. You prepare, you write your exams, somebody evaluates your sheets and then on a particular day a result is put up, and that determines whether you are successful or not. Right? This is the first model of success.

This is the model of success that ninety-nine percent of the world thinks to be success; that there is something to be achieved in the future. And that something that you want to achieve is also hugely dependent upon others. Getting it?

There is somebody else who evaluates you. There is somebody else who declares that you are successful. Situations have a great role in determining if you are successful or not. This is the first model in which success always lies in the future and is always influenced by others.