I’m starting to doubt the importance of my career achievements

Q: I am a senior executive in a multinational corporation covering Africa, Middle East and Europe. I have risen the ranks as I had dreamt when I started my career but I am beginning to doubt the importance and meaning of all my career achievements. What is success and is it overrated?

 Success takes different definitions for different people. It may also vary across the seasons of life. What may have been a prized trophy a decade ago for you may today unnoticeably blend in with your ordinary household furnishings.

Success existed before the advent of the corporate world and it, therefore, does not exclusively emanate from participating in or even winning the rat race.

Some consider fame, power and wealth as integral aspects to success. Others consider the ability to deploy these attributes in the service of others as an essential ingredient of success.

Yet others believe that people cannot be truly successful if they fail at the family level or if they are disconnected from God. Others may feel that because they did not make it in education, then their life is doomed and somehow, being successful in life is not a priority. People’s notions of success may be as unique as their handwriting. Your understanding of success, therefore, is completely different from that of others.

You may come across people who have made achievements, which in your assessment, are really nothing much, but to them, it is a huge success.

Life and many common symbols of success do not endure indefinitely and it is, therefore, worth asking yourself: how can I lead my life so that it is an inspiration to others? How can I ensure that my legacy is a benediction for those I leave behind?

How can I make my talent and achievements count for others?

Ralph Waldo Emerson, a 19th century philosopher, in an effort to dissect success, wove a few lines whose essence remains pertinent today.

To laugh often and love much;

To win the respect of intelligent persons

And the affection of children;

To earn the approbation of honest critics

And to endure the betrayal of false friends;

To appreciate beauty;

To find the best in others;

To give of one's self;

To leave the world a little better,

Whether by a healthy child,

A garden patch

Or a redeemed social condition;

To have played and laughed with enthusiasm

And sung with exultation;

To know that even one life has breathed easier

Because you have lived

This is to have succeeded.

Fred Gituku, Human Resources Practitioner ([email protected])