#muminsekman

The history of humanity is the widest stage for man’s endeavor to succeed.

History has presented man with two alternatives: join the success game or stay out.

There are three possible results for those who join: win, lose, or draw.

History has chosen to ignore those who stay out of the game. The non-participants may have led happier lives; yet the fact remains that historians have not been interested in those who are happy.

History books reflect the past with battles and major upheavals. There must have been people who led moderately happy lives. History prefers to speak to us of tumult, not tranquility.

To date, the history of happiness, remains untold, while the history of humanity is replete with intriguing anecdotes about man’s accomplishments.

—To succeed, or not to succeed; that is the question!

Amasis of Siuph in Sais was, at first, an ordinary man. He was not very highly esteemed by the Egyptians. After a difficult struggle, he managed to capture the Egyptian throne. Suddenly, the people appreciated him!

Noting how his standing in society had suddenly changed after his success, Amasis found an interesting way not to forget this. The Greek historian Herodotus narrates in his book entitled “History”:

“Amasis had a golden basin in his treasury. It was used for washing his feet. He had the basin melted down to make a statue of a god, which he then placed in the city center. He told everyone what the statue was made from. It had once been a basin in which men had vomited, or washed their feet, now it was a statue that men worshiped. He likened himself to this basin. Once an ordinary man, now a king everyone served.”

Had Shakespeare heard of this, he would have penned, “To succeed, or not to succeed; that is the question!”

The sad reality is that we often measure our value according to the magnitude of our success.

It is our success that defines not only our social standing, but also our identity. We are delineated on the basis of our achievements. Our victories make our name. Failure condemns us to a life of anonymity.

Great men are those who have achieved much. Great men have also done much evil. Great men may have emerged from wars as the heroes, but, don’t forget, great men were the instigators of the wars in the first place!

We all want to become something. Along the way, we may forget one major duty: Being human!

When you remove all superimposed labels from a person, what remains is the essential: human.

Our first responsibility is to be human.

Never harden your heart by exaggerating the effort to succeed!

In order to see what lies beyond success, you first have to reach the pinnacle. The most interesting benefit of success is how it enables you to see what lies beyond. Once you have satisfied your hunger for success, whatever else you hunger for is what lies beyond.

What most people who take a long time to reach success see beyond the peak is often what had hibernated within, overshadowed by their ambition for success. Few people are able to draw out the sage within themselves until they have reached the pinnacle of success.

The longer someone stays at the top, the wiser he may become. This wisdom comes from having conquered success. You can now see what lies beyond success. The curtain that success had drawn over what lies within is pushed aside.

People need to achieve their ambitions before they can conquer them. The more you enjoy luxury, the less important it becomes.

The richer you are, the less it matters.

You get over success when you reach its highest peak.

You will learn what comfort cannot provide when you enjoy the peak of comfort.

You will find out what money cannot buy when you have more than you can spend.

You will appreciate what power does not affect when you reach the top in politics.

You will know what networking cannot achieve when you have met people who are more important and influential than you want.

You will find out what the top achievement is when you stand side by side with others who have reached the pinnacle.

What will you see? Don’t expect the author to provide all the answers, go find out for yourself!