The limits of success

Vellatthanaiya malar neeettam; maandartham uLLatthanaiya uyarvu - Thirukkural

The height of the lotus stalk is determined by the depth of the waters; the heights of men's success is determined by their ambition - Loose Translation 

These poets, I tell you. You can never take the meaning of a word for granted. This 'ULLam' pops up again, meaning 'mind' as I have had occasion to say before. The last time, I thought it meant 'strength of character', more than anything else, which included enthusiasm, determination and self-belief. All of that is needed to determine the extent of the success a man may achieve, yes. But the 'heights' a person will reach, including the direction in which he will reach it, will also be determined by what he focuses on. And focus is a product of ambition.

Now 'Ambition', itself, is a strange word, especially the way people use it. More often than not, ambition is the name people give to their daydreams. At least, I do that - like the time I had the 'ambition' to become the next Rajnikant. An ambition which, to anyone else, would classify as a nightmare if I had indeed achieved it. Looks, screen presence, acting skills - you name it, I did NOT have it!

Ambition is not merely an idea of where you want to be. It is the determination to work to achieve it, the enthusiasm to keep trying and the self-belief which will keep that enthusiasm unflagging. So, it actually IS all that I had said before PLUS the focus.

So, yes, in this case the heights a man will reach will be determined by his ambition, just as the lotus stalk grows high enough to ensure that the lotus blooms above the water. WHERE he will reach those heights - in politics, business, arts or in spirituality will depend on where he focuses his efforts.

Life, being what it is, can play tricks on you and gift success to one with lesser drive and failure to one who puts his soul into his work. The point, nevertheless, is that the comparison is not with others. YOUR success will be proportionate to YOUR efforts. If your ambition is high, your success will be more than it will be if you set your sights lower. I mean, if you are content with rising up to the middle management, you are unlikely to even strive to hit top management, right?

The desirability of the success; the cost in time, effort and relationships that you are willing to pay for it - those are for you to decide. But if you do want to hit the pinnacles of whatever area you wish to succeed in, you need to have a burning ambition to do so. Of course, you could always hit the jackpot without doing the hard grind. But would you consider 'hitting the jackpot' as logical career advice?

So, 'Rem acu tetigisti', Tiru!

Me? Why do you always have to bring me into the picture? I have hit the pinnacles of MY ambition, I'll have you know. Always wanted to relax all day and, presto, I'm doing just that!