Redefining Success

What is success ? Meeting your set goals ? Getting awards, recognition ? or may be none of them or is it a set of goals you pursue and achieve one after another ?? Can we call half finished race a success ? Can we call an initiative a success ? Does success depends only on results ? Is there any weightage given to sincere efforts that are put to achieve a goal irrespective of end results ?

Mostly NO, success is defined only by end results. There are some scenarios though, wherein I would disagree with this definition of success.

1. There is a child who just had some leg surgery or is disabled. If that kid participates in a race and loses, then its NOT success as per the above definition. But we know that he gathered the strength and guts to even participate and he has put efforts, so he can be called successful.
2. There is a female who is scared of some rowdy who teases her on street every time she goes out. She does not have the courage to look in his eyes, abuse him and slap him. One day she builds up her mind and slaps that rowdy real hard. This might not change the behaviour of that rowdy but can we call this display of courage by the lady a success ?
3. Imagine a budding entrepreneur. He/She starts their own business venture. It runs into losses and due to some unfortunate accident the founder dies. Somebody else takes over and does some changes and the organisation starts making profits. What do we do now ? call the founder a failure even thought he/she initiated that venture ?

So do we change the definition of success ?

No need, lets just change the perspective. Do not call somebody/yourself successful by using somebody else's viewpoint. Define your success as seen from your eyes, call others successful if you would have judged yourself successful in similar circumstances. Use it to brighten up the day of a person who has just lost !