Whenever you see a successful person you perceive their glories, and never the sacrifices that brought them there
It’s easy to be jealous of people who have achieved success. You look at each of their accomplishments, and you think how great it would be if you could have what that person has. Of course, envy will never be good, but in part, it’s normal for us to look at something great and want to have it or have it happen to us. However, do you also see how much that person had to fight to get where they are or to have what they have now? Probably not.
You can see the success in a person, but not the path he took to achieve it
Has it ever happened to you, that you watch TV and see a particular person and quickly wish you were him or her? It’s likely, and that’s because most series and movies show us incredible lives, people with super powers, with incredible talents, to whom supernatural things happen and who do some feats out of this world. Of course, I was thinking of science fiction when I said that. But there are also characters who simply seem to do very well. But beyond the joy, can you see the struggle?
A movie shows you the story of a person, who for two hours will live certain things and in the end will manage to stay with the girl, become a millionaire, save the world among other things, but if you look closely, much of the movie tells certain things he had to live to reach that happy ending. However, we pay very little attention to that part because it’s a two-hour film, and this doesn’t seem to be enough time for us to feel how hard it might have been for the protagonist to achieve success.
In real life things are different, there are those who achieve fame many decades after they have started looking for it. For example, Henry Ford, who built the first self-propelled vehicle, did not achieve fame until 1899 when he was already 36 years old. Others, such as John Pemberton, founder of the world’s best known company, Coca-Cola, became successful at age 55, and the well-known Harland Sanders David, founder of KFC, didn’t achieve his dream success until he was in his 70s.
Now, do you know their stories? Of course not, you only know the car, the drink and the chicken. Behind these achievements each of these people suffered many setbacks. For example, Harland Sanders David never stopped failing with every business he created. He changed professions many times and nothing was given to him until he managed to convince some franchisers to invest in his idea.
What does all this tell you? That beyond an achievement there is an implied hard struggle. The greater the success, the greater the battle must have been. So appreciate all the stumbles, falls and failures you may be having now, for from that will come the greatest victory of your life. You may not be building an empire but you will certainly be living life to the fullest.