7 Situations In Which You Win But Don’t Succeed!

Is winning not about success? Surely! That’s what commonsense says. But, hey …take a closer look at situations in your life and you’ll find that many a time winning does not get transformed to success. There are umpteen examples in your professional and financial life which stand testimony. You might wonder why I’m telling you all this. Well, I want to warn you that watch you step before you make that ‘wining’ move so that you ultimately don’t make a flop of your life.

Here, I recall something that I learnt in high school. My school final grades were excellent in mathematics and so I took up mathematics in higher studies. Later I found that Integral Calculus was a strong aversion. I had a tough time clearing my exams. I regret not having taken up psychology in higher studies because that subject was my true academic love.  If you can see, this is a situation where my win did not transform to a success. I should have been more prudent and introspective about my academic pursuit.

Here are certain situations that most of us might think we’ve won but ultimately lose out. So just put a cautious step forward if you encounter any of these.

“A good job is a win, but a good career is success”

Being a fluent speaker with very impressive communication skills, I was always selected for the job of a Public Relationships Officer. It was a well paying job with a lot of perks.  I had joined once, but after 3 months, I’ve had it! Interacting with people 24 X 7 with a plastic smile on my face was quite unlike me. Writing was my passion for long, but since during those days, it was not as conspicuous and rewarding a career as that of a public relations officer, I opted for the latter. But after realizing that I didn’t gel with the job, I got out of it as soon as I could. When a classified came up in the newspapers for a website content writer, I jumped at the opportunity and grabbed it. Today, I can proudly declare that I’m a successful writer for about a decade.

Never go for a job simply because its high paying, highly –esteemed, or the workplace lies in the vicinity of your house. You will not succeed unless you have a passion for the job you are doing. Times are very competitive. Talent and passion are the only factors that determine your success.

“Saving for future is winning, but denying for the present is not success”

Nowadays, there are a number of insurance and retirement schemes to make you and your family financially secure in future. Other than that there are a lot of business offers that seem to promise you great returns after some years. Sure, you’re going to reap the benefits later, but what about the present? By investing in so many future-oriented saving schemes you have less money to spend on the present…that most important time when you’re young and healthy. These days, even when something as meager as a viral infection can prove fatal, and terrorism is not sparing a single soul, do you think human life as such has any guarantee? Save for the future. Your children definitely need your financial support when they grow up, but do not put the major part of your financial  resources in future schemes. That’ll ruin your present. A satisfactory present is what is going to make you successful in life as success is a way of life and not the destination.

“Taking insurance is a win, but good coverage is success!”

There are scores of insurance schemes in the market. You might insure for a number of reasons. You might want to protect your life and possessions, or for tax benefits, or both. But how much coverage are you getting for the insured amount. Adopt a scheme which will give you the maximum benefits. For example, your life insurance coverage is generally based on your salary, your children’s education, household expenses, EMI etc. So you should choose a scheme that gives you the maximum coverage after taking all the factors into consideration. Use an insurance calculator for calculating insurance and try to get the maximum coverage. A plan without adequate coverage is of no use, however good it may be.

“Investing the principal amount is a win, but multiplying it fast is success!”

The amount of money you deposit in your bank account might reflect your financial health, but you should also know how to multiply that amount to the maximum in a given amount of time. Don’t sit with your principal amount in the bank and wait for it to grow at a snail’s pace. Find out how best you can invest in fixed deposits, mutual funds, compound interest enhancing schemes so that your money grows in leaps and bounds like a healthy tree.

“Saving is a win, but enjoying while saving is success”

I’ve seen people hoarding money and leading a life of penury. My next door neighbor does not dine out with family, does not go out for a movie with family and leads a very modest lifestyle. I feel sorry when I see the faces of his children who are desperately starved for some outing and excitement in their lives. But this neighbor happens to be one of the highest salaried persons of my colony. He takes extreme pleasure in counting his hoarded dollars. I, on the other hand save, but always find it a pleasure to spend some for the entertainment of my family. Their smiles, and not hoarded cash, make me happy. At the end of the day, by hoarding wealth I might be a winner, but my family happiness determines my ultimate success. Of what use is money, if it cannot make you happy at the right age and in the right time? Remember with hoarding wealth, you’ll hoard ailments too as you grow old and a time may come when you’ll not be able to enjoy your wealth even if you want to.

“A cost cutting budget is a win, but a happy budget is success”

I’ve seen many parents denying their children little pleasures on the pretext of budget. Little Sam does not get to eat ice-cream or pizza when he goes shopping. He has to control his tender taste buds and eat mom’s homemade stuff only. Its recession and people are trying their best to slash their expenditures. Of what use is your budget if it brings tears to the eyes of your child? You might feel a great survivor by cutting down on your costs, but real success lies in making a budget that accommodates little allowances for your child and your entire family. Instead of making your baby cry why don’t you walk down a few steps to that nearby store and save up on vehicle fuel costs? That’s a more efficient budget. What do you think?

“Not borrowing money is a win, but borrowing can be a success”

To this day, my friend Rogers did not borrow a single dollar from anybody. He’s financially very stable. When a common friend, Bob, should us an awesome business venture Rogers hung off saying he did not want to take any loans or risk any losses for that venture.  I calculated my risk factors and agreed to take a loan for starting the venture. The business worked and now I’m a lot richer than Rogers. Well, I wish Bob had taken the risk with me.

Protecting yourself from risks is a win, but taking calculated risk for availing an opportunity is success. Be brave and go ahead.

Winning might give you happiness, but success gives a deep internal satisfaction. A win is a temporary incentive whereas success is permanent. Most of the time winning is a stepping stone to success, but not always. Always aim to succeed and not merely win.