What is Success, Really?

Venerable Thubten Chodron

At the World Buddhist Conference last week, Venerable Thubten Chodron, who practises Tibetan Buddhism, asked a pertinent question during her talk, 'Bringing Harmony to the Workplace'.

What is success? 

She provided a scenario: when a person wants more money, he or she will work hard for the promotion, and that means more time will be devoted to the job, but he or she will obtain more money. The faster you climb, the higher you will go until you reach the top. Then, do you declare that achievement as success? When you examine the other aspects of your life, you realize you have lost time with your family; you have skipped your child's choir performance, you've missed your relative's funeral, and you forgot a loved one's birthday. Can you really call this success?

On the other hand, there is a person who earns just enough, and goes home to spend time with his or her family, with enough money to purchase a home and spend on education for the kids, but he or she may not be at the top of the organizational chart. Can you deem this second scenario success?

I immediately reflected on my current life and asked myself this question: is it worth carrying on with my current pace, or is it better to slow down, balancing all my matters, and being happy?