SUCCESS IS NO STRAIGHT LINE.

We have always heard the phrase ''work hard and you'll be successful.

If you didn't........I did.

Oh! I did. And a lot.

My dad always told  my sister and I that the key to success was hard work. He painted success from a book worm's point of view. My sister and I believed him so much at that time cause he was our role model. We looked up to him.

Suffice me to say, my dad is a very intelligent man and he knew a lot of mathematics. I guess that was our bases for embracing him as a role model. We wanted to be as intelligent as he was or even more. So whatever he told us we took hook line and sinker.

From childhood we were groomed to work hard so we could be successful. At that point, my definition of success was having a big car and a big house all to myself. It felt so good reminiscing over my car and big house as a child.

I would solve my math, read my books and story books/novels my dad gave me cause he drummed into our ears that success can only be attained by studying hard.

He constantly gave us examples of successful people who had studied their way through and ignored watching television, fighting hard to be watched instead of watching others.

Watching television became a crime in my home so to say,. If you were caught (cause we secretly watched television only when my parents were not home), you were instantly perceived as a never-do-well.

The struggle to be successful continued through secondary school and university. We read so hard (even though we never made straight 'As') but I read for just one reason..........to be successful.

The long hours of reading science texts books and other subjects was a torture. I didn't like to read. I just loved reading stories and writing the imaginations in my head. The writing I didn't consider as part of being successful. It was a trivial part of my life.

I wrote my first book at age 10 and I remember tucking it away in my wardrobe, happy at my accomplishment but I still was looking for success in that way my father described to us.

What exactly is success?

success is not hard work

success is not a good job

Success is not long hours of solving math problems

Success is not being financially balanced

Success (as defined by me) is living that life that makes you fulfilled and happy. Living a life that makes you fulfilled entails a lot of things. It could be your purpose, using your talents, financial stability, family etc. 

I believe that success does not lie in competing with others. I believe success is creating the life you want for yourself.  Make no mistakes, hard work is good but it's not a sure guarantee for success. 

Every one has a path. The beginning of success is finding your path. There is no straight line to success. 

Different turns and ways all leads to success. The most important thing is to trust your effort. More like trust your hustle. 

Believe in yourself. 

Make conscious and daily efforts to improve and prepare yourself for that path you have chosen. 

Where ever you think success lies for you, by all means pursue it. And remember, success means different things to different persons. Find out yours and stick to it.

Thanks for reading !