I Am the Most Important Person in My Life; What About You?

When asked by reporters why Sir Edmund Hillary chose to climb Mount Everest, his plain and simple answer was: “because it is there.”

Sir Edmund Hillary summed up his success in climbing the Everest in such beautiful words. If he did not envision the possibility of accomplishing what no other human had ever done before, nobody would have ever known that a person by the name of Edmund Hillary ever existed on the face of this earth. Unfortunately, the same would have been right for Sherpa Tensing Norgay as well.

Even to this day, many brave men die in their efforts to accomplish this one goal in their lives but does it mean we should stop pursuing the same any more?

Not by the farthest thought. As a matter of fact, more and more expeditions are being planned almost every year, some even without the use of oxygen. Those daring enough always find a way to challenge themselves even further. Why, because the path to glory is almost always studded with unexpected adversities.

Benjamin Disraeli the 19th Century British Prime Minister gave us these golden words about the significance of action, a strong response, in no uncertain terms:

All human activities have one or more of these seven causes:

1. Compulsion 2. Passion, 3. Chance, 4. Nature, 5. Habit, 6. Reason and 7. Desire

The unfortunate truth, in today's materialistic world, revolves around compulsion more than anything else. If only we could initiate a change in our thinking to make passion the single most important and motivating force behind our choice of occupation, the rate of achieved success is bound to be much higher.

We cannot live life by chance alone whereas nature does play a role in the outcome of our efforts without guiding it to fruition. Habit and reason often come our way before we can actually jump from one profession to another. In this above scenario, the only other favorable tool in our arsenal is passion coupled with the desire to succeed.

To re-iterate this point further, please allow me to borrow a quote from Shaquille O’Neal: “Excellence is not a singular act, but a habit. You are what you repeatedly do”.

When you get in the habit of following your passion, worldly distractions do not hamper your activity. The diversions never deter you from doing what you are so passionate about. Your primary focus is to get what your passion dictates while your desire for success creates a new YOU, a ‘YOU’ that understands the importance of his or her priorities in life.

It will be a ‘YOU’ that is not bothered by others’ comments and/or negativity; a ‘YOU’ that is an out and about ‘ACHIEVER’; a self-respecting individual who is determined to stand out from among the crowd.

If this doesn’t give you a clearer picture of life’s vicious reality, alas, nothing else will.