True Success

There is only one success in life - that is to live your life the way you want to.

I don't know who said that or remember where I actually came across that statement. But there could not be a statement that has moved me more.

I wish that I had the courage to live by that. There is probably 1% percent of the entire population that lives by that law, at least in India. Still one wishes one could actually practice that and be part of that lucky few.

But it does take a lot of balls to do it. I am mostly bogged down by the money factor. What if I pursue photograpy or writing or ad making and I dont make enough money. What if I am not good enough at it? What then? And however much I may deny it, I cannot claim that I am totally free from society's influences. No one is. If we were, words like power, prestige and status would be truly non-existant. I think that gypsies and hippies are probably the only people who can really live that way ignorant or impervious of all the worldly influences.

Life is too small to waste away only working all the time. I do like my work on at least 40% of the days that I am working right now. Which is actually quite good a ratio. But even then, work is not the end of the world. There is so much to experience, so much to see, so much to travel, so much adventure that can be had...

I have always wondered that it is the people who have all the money that dont have any time to actually enjoy it and it is the people who have all the great plans for enjoyment that dont have the money to do so. In that way, I think some how God plays its hand in making everyone ultimately equal. I wish I could find that fine niche where I have just enough work to make just enough money, yet grow professionally, and yet have enough time to do all the travel and do all the adventure sports that are always on my todo list. Hmm... a tall order indeed.

Ten years from now, I dont want to look back and say, oh well I should have done that and that and that. Ten years from now, I want to say, oh wow!, I have done so much; now its time to take the next step....hmm

Only time will tell. And I hope that I am pro-active and sit up and take notice and change my path when I need to and not just dull my senses and become oblivious to everything and then realize one day that it is too late.