Author : Meeta Johari
‘Success is a state of mind, if you want success start thinking of yourself as success’
Aaha!! Who all want to know how to be successful? Isn’t each one of us pursuing success in our own fields? E.g., a student pursuing for excellent grades – which is success for him/her, an employee pursuing for accomplishing his task successfully to be rewarded in return, a businessman pursuing profits as success, a mother trying to feed her baby successfully, an athlete achieving his new ‘timing’ and feeling successful etc. are all examples of how important ‘success’ is in our lives.
A little humor – Success is relative 😊
Success is relative and has unique measure for each one pursuing it as not all measure success the same way. Much has been written and researched about success and we continue to be in pursuit of what aspect of ‘success’ fits into writing my story!
My inspiration to write about success was driven by ~ ‘Success is a State of Mind’. I related this phrase to the multiple inspirational stories echoing about the mindset with which those impossible seeming tasks are accomplished and history gets re-written.
The story………..
It was the peak of tourist season in suburban Goa, for Amy the day was going to be another day packed with excitement at sea. Amy was a big support in her brother’s small adventure sports business. Her brother Robert had started an adventure sports business with a little investment along with his two friends, they had two motorboats and paragliding balloons, one jet skiing boat and a tempo for movement of their tools.
Amy was a good support as she had learned to drive the motor bike boat and was pretty good at it. 21 years old Amy was full of life, after passing her grade 12 exams, she started supporting her brother and helping build his business. The income thus generated was the only source for the family of five members with an ailing grandmother and retired parents to support.
Amy’s brother had resort tie-ups and only worked on pre-bookings, this helped him to plan his slots better. Today Amy had to attend to 08 customers, 05 in the morning slot and 03 in the evening slot. Amy was one of the very few female drivers amongst the many male drivers on Goa beaches, thus, her slots were always pre-booked in the season. Amy drove a blue & white ‘Yamaha Superjet’ for jet skiing, she had no formal training but learnt the skill by practicing with other male trainers.
Jet skiing required tremendous energy and fitness, it used to be exhausting to go on after 04 -05 bookings a day, yet Amy with her strong will power was open to her stretch her boundaries.
Amy was on her fourth ride of the day with an American tourist, Joyce. Before embarking on the route, Joyce requested for a quick chat with Amy over a shell full of coconut water. Joyce introduced herself to Amy and spoke about her love for water sports. Amy had started to enjoy the conversation, she was thrilled when Joyce said that she was on tour to explore the water sports scenario in America, Asia and Australia. Joyce shared that she was a travel enthusiast, a travel blogger, a foodie and an amazing water sports enthusiast. Amy’s eyes glittered and she wanted to hear more from Joyce, but she knew she could not afford it as her schedule was tight.
Joyce’s introduction had sowed new thoughts in Amy’s mind, a world which was beyond earning a daily bread and she was hungry to know more. So, after a quick introduction by her, Amy asked for Joyce’s contact details so that she can exchange more thoughts about jet skiing and water sports. Joyce gladly shared her contact details, and they went for jet skiing.
It was a thrill ride for Joyce, her adrenaline was gushing as they came back to shore after 30 minutes of the ride on the waves, beating the forces of the sea and winning the speed race while fighting to stay afloat all along. Joyce thanked Amy with a broad smile and a tight hug for an amazing experience and promised to come again before she leaves Goa. Joyce invited Amy to her resort on the next day to chat over a mug of beer and she promised to share her travel stories with Amy.
Next day, Amy was ready to leave for the resort when her brother called and insisted to come to the beach in couple of hours as the substitute driver had to leave for some work, Amy was not happy as she had taken a day off to spend time with Joyce…although, Amy was a responsible girl and understood the exigency thus, promised to be on the beach in couple of hours.
Next two hours with Joyce changed Amy’s thoughts to start aspiring for success, a road which she was unaware of till yesterday, a road which was waiting for her, a road which demanded a lot of sacrifices, a road which would change her life forever and she was all ears to learn more and embark on the new path.
Joyce was quick to identify Amy’s talent in water sports, being a travel blogger, she wrote on her blog about her experience with Amy and posted it on social media. The blog got worldwide attention and overnight Amy was a star jet skier with her pictures being shared on the social media. As Joyce had followers and water sports enthusiasts from America, Europe, Asia and Australia, her blog was widely read and popular in the segment of adventure sports. Joyce suggested Amy to learn professional skiing and scout opportunities to explore beyond Goa, Joyce gave a dream to Amy.
Amy already embarked on the journey to achieve success, she got certifications from National Institute of Water Sports, Goa. In the next two years Amy did internships in India and Thailand, with help of Joyce she got a sponsor to participate in the international water sports event held in Miami, US, further she got her license to work in the US and live her dream to the fullest.
Today, Amy says that what worked for her was her ‘success mindset’, she recalls the day when she got the direction which Joyce showed her, it was a tough road but it all seemed small to her in front of her determination to achieve respect, dignity, a better life for herself and for her family – a life which she was not aware of earlier but now she was sure there was no looking back.
Amy has also chalked out her future to come back to India and coach the aspiring women to take up ‘water sports’ seriously and take new strides towards success of water sports in India.
What was Amy’s success mindset all about?
- Be an Optimist: Amy was an optimist, she didn’t see the obstacles but instead chose to see the paths moving through the obstacles, paths which were to be carved by her to achieve success.
- Be Resilient: Amy was resilient, she didn’t stop when there were failures instead, she learnt from her failures and sharpened her skills. She was aware that if she resisted change, she will be left behind.
- Be Open Minded: Amy was open minded, she was open to learn, experiment and embrace anything which is enhances her experience/knowledge. Amy showed her vulnerable side to Joyce which brought new perspectives in her life. A person needs to be open minded to have a success mindset.
- Be mega Positive: Positivity makes mind tough leaving no room for derailing thoughts, negativism should have no room in Amy’s positive bubble.
- Be highly Determined and Persistent: Amy had relentless pursuit of ambition, she was persistent in making things happen for her, she knew the path and that was enough for her to achieve success. Her persistence to learn, her determination to keep connecting with the right people who can help move closer to her dream was all that mattered.
- Be highly Disciplined: Amy during her journey was restless, her focus was only on learning and strengthening her skills and she followed a strict routine to be in water and sharpen her skills irrespective of where she was and only that mattered. She was aware that procrastination will only delay her success, only a tough mind can take such calls.
- Be Resourceful: For maintaining a success mindset, Amy knew it is important to be resourceful, continue to minimize needs but invest time, money and resources in areas that matter, and which lead her to her destination.
Thus, Amy’s journey to achieving new milestones became a reality for her because of her belief that ‘Success is a mindset’, she knew she had to believe it to make it happen, rest will fall in place eventually.
MEETA JOHARI
Certified Coach, Trainer, Human Resources, Employee Engagement & Organisation Development Professional