As students, your fundamental duty is to focus on your studies and “acuminate knowledge” and “enhance your skills” with a positive attitude and to “make those practices, a “habit” to succeed in your lives. You must have a “clear vision and values” for your life to reach the highest echelons in your chosen career. You must always “dream big” and “aim high” to translate your vision to reality. In my humble opinion “your dreams must be bigger than the obstacles”.

DEFINITION OF SUCCESS:

Success is defined as the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. To be successful the fundamental requirement is to have a “ Purpose” in your Life. The dictionary describes success as the following; “ attaining wealth, prosperity and/or fame. Being Successful means the achievement of desired visions and planned goals. Furthermore, success can be a certain social status that describes a prosperous person who could also have gained fame for its favourable outcome John Wooden defines success as, “ Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self – self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.

Success is an attitude.” We have already completed one month for this year. All of us are full of hopes, dreams and expectations to be successful in our chosen endeavours in this new year. I am sure that most of you would have prepared your New Year Resolutions by now. Some of you would have written down your plans and planned to execute those plans. Some will have only wishful thinking. This is not good enough as “ A goal without a plan is just a wish”. By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail. So, the people who do not have a plan need to wake up and prepare themselves to march forward in this new year. Perhaps, they could follow in the footsteps of successful people.

Success is 10 % inspiration and 90% perspiration. You need to ”plan your work” and you must “work your plan” The Secret of your success is determined by your daily agenda. I strongly recommend you have a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, bi-annual and annual plan. Plans are nothing, Planning is everything. Furthermore Working on your Planning is the ultimate key to Success and that is the secret to success as well. Your positive action combined with positive thinking results in success. While planning you should have “Clarity of Thought”.Further you need to “ Prioritise and Organise your Plans” as Time Management plays a pivotal role in your Success. I would like to recommend the following to be effective and efficient. From your Things to-do list, select them and sort them out as;

Urgent & Important
Urgent & Not Important
Not urgent & Important
Not urgent & Not important

MY SECRETS FOR YOU TO SUCCEED IN YOUR WORK AND STUDENT LIFE:

You should “think clearly about your future”, “generate ideas to meet your goals and objectives in your student career and life and to overcome obstacles and problems and meet the challenges “, “try”, “do”, “do it again”, “and again”, “keep doing” and finally “succeed”. However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at. Success is not built on success. It is built on failure. It is built on frustration. Sometimes it is built on catastrophe. It is very important to have a “mentor” and it will have a profound impact on your life.

THE ADVICE THAT I GOT FROM MY MENTOR:

” Life is a signpost. In endeavouring to meet your goals and objectives, you may slip or falter, but never surrender, Persevere until you succeed”. The above advice was given to me, by my mentor, the Eminent and Distinguished Old Boy of our Alma Mater, the Hallowed Educational Institution, St. Joseph’s College, Colombo 10 and the Founder Chairman of Mansel (Ceylon) Limited and the Past International Lions Club Director, Late. Mr. Anthony Chakravarti Wijenathen, whose advice has a profound meaning and has been instrumental in all my successes since then. He was a “gentleman” and “Guru” par excellence. I am greatly indebted to him.

SUCCESS MANTRAS:

Having a Purpose and Plan are prerequisites for success but, in my humble opinion the detrimental factor for success would be “ Having a Passion”. You need to work with “enthusiasm” & “ energy” daily. In other words, you need to work with zest in Life.

ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE TO CHANGE THE ALTITUDE IN YOUR LIFE:

In Planning and implementation, you need to talk to yourself. As Swamy Vivekananda advised, “Talk to yourself at least once in a day…Otherwise, you may miss a meeting with an Excellent person in this World.” He also said that The great secret of true success, of true happiness, is this; “The man or woman who asks for no return, the perfectly unselfish person, is the most successful”

CONCLUSION:

Finally, you should not be a “solipsistic person”. But, rather an “empathetic” person. I have learnt that empathy is “seeing with the eyes of another”, “listening with the ears of another “ and “ feeling with the heart of another “. Also, you should have “gratitude “ as an attitude “, in your life. In my humble opinion the “ attitude of gratitude will change your attitude “ in the student's career and life. “Gratitude is a multivitamin for the soul”. Gratitude is one of the most powerful human emotions. Once expressed, it changes attitude, brightens outlook and broadens our perspectives.

Hence, have these human qualities and Keep on working to benefit your society, Family and yourself in that order and not the other way around. You will be a truly Successful Person. You may conquer this World. Wishing you a Great and Successful Journey in 2024 and beyond. Maruthai Ravindhiran is a Professional Marketer, Strategist and Language Specialist. He is also a Specialist in Professional Communication Skills, Group Communication Skills and Presentation Skills and a transformational and Life Management Coach.

- Maruthai Ravindhiran