How do you know if you have succeeded?

One question I like asking people is how will they know they have succeeded? And guess what? Most people blank out. In materialistic terms, they can't specify a number - either a salary they earn or their bank balance and even if they do, the answer invariably changes after 6 months - the illusion of success is the only one which seems to succeed. In non-physical terms, they are even more clueless.

Isn't it ironical and somewhat funny that everybody is running behind success without knowing where it ends. Maybe that's why life has become a rat race as nobody visualizes the finish line and just keeps on running because others are doing it too. How blind-folded can we really be?

In this hyper connected world where we can see what others are doing on a hourly/daily/weekly basis, the fear of losing out is amplified to an unfathomable extent. Everybody wants to be everywhere, doing everything - travel, photography, earn millions, own latest gadgets, fashionable attires.. The list goes on.. Basically have-it-all.

Where we have collectively failed is to accept the reality of trade-offs. You simply can't have it all. That traveler you envy doesn't have the Versace's or Gucci's! That photographer you want to be started with an unbelievably low income! That fashionista you idolize doesn't binge on your favorite foods! You can't be everywhere. You can't please everyone and make them happy. You need to choose and not choosing is also a choice!

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