So much has been written about success that one often gets confused about what success is all about. Success is such a personal thing that it may mean different things to different people. Yet we need to have a simple definition which should apply to all successful people and situations. The ultimate purpose of being successful is to take pride in one's achievements and be happy; and I think one of the best description has been put forward by Ralph Waldo Emerson.

"To laugh often and much;

To win the respect of intelligent people

and the affection of children;

To earn the appreciation of honest critics

and endure the betrayal of false friends

To appreciate beauty;

To find the best in others;

To leave the world a bit better, whether by

a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;

To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived;

This is to have succeeded."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Here is the simplicity with which such a complex subject like success has been explained . If we just analyze every line we would realize that each aspect adds up to a value leading up to a successful life.

And this is the challenge of success. To have such values as to 'laugh often' or 'to find the best in others' is being successful. So simple yet when we look at ourselves and all around us we will find very few people laughing often or appreciating beauty.

The other day I met a young person working for a social organization on lowly wages hardly eking out a decent living. But what I found amazing was he talked very positively and with love to everyone he met, and he met a lot of people on our short walk. There was no bitterness in him because of his economic status nor any disgust for his work which paid him low wages. He did his work with great love. When I praised him for his positive and sunny nature he was thrilled and became a great friend though we had just met an hour back and went out of the way to help me with my assignment.

It is often the most difficult thing to praise anyone. We may admire so many people and their work but fail to give credit openly or acknowledge and praise the persons concerned.

This is what I did and it was a win win day for both of us. Now let us just think about how much success can be achieved in a day if we follow all of Emerson's success formula.

The challenge of success is to follow the simple values. The few simple things in life will always account for the major successes in our life. It is not to suggest that there are only these simple ideas that would affect our successes but it is our focus on the simple things that will have the greatest impact in our lives. What we read above of Emerson's words are proven wisdom that have flowed down for centuries but yet retained their ageless and timeless relevance.

While success training is becoming more and more complex with new programs with fancy success matrixes or best sellers being touted as the ultimate answer, hitting us everyday, I invite you all to look at the challenge of understanding the simple yet powerful wisdom of the the great thinkers such as Emerson.