Success in Life is Like Shopping for New Shoes

Success comes in many forms; choose the best you can afford.

When I was young, my older brother showed me something similar to the image shown below:

He told me that this was a good guide for deciding what career I should choose when I go to college.

Most kids like me will never bother to research and assess each profession during that time. Instead, they will blindly pick one that sounds good and offer a high salary.

Unfortunately, once they discover how difficult a high-paying profession is, they will settle down for something less and easy.

I always wanted to be a seafarer. But I took the wrong advice and landed up in the finance profession. I have no regrets, though, but I could just imagine what I could’ve done had I followed what I truly wanted in life.

I did well in my profession, but there was always that emptiness inside me—something profound inside, yearning for more.

One thing I have discovered as I journeyed in life is that you get the chance to pick and choose your successes, and really it’s like shopping for a new pair of shoes.

Don’t settle for anything less.

Buying a new pair of shoes is akin to setting new goals and working towards achieving them. The better the shoes, the riskier and the costlier it gets.

Like shoes, successes come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Successes have varying degrees of greatness.

Consider the following examples who went to the same school and took the same course:

One person finishes college and then gets a stable and high-paying job.

Another person finishes college, gets a stable and high-paying job, then took his Master's degree and finally his Ph.D.

Another person drops out of college but finds his meaningful pursuit in life and builds a profitable business and makes millions each year.

All of them achieved success, but one is more successful than the others.

Keep in mind that you can only buy what you can afford. So don’t settle for something less. Rather, spend a lot of time scrutinizing and choosing the best shoes that will give you the most bang for your buck.

It’s the same thing in life. Keep on setting new goals. If you could push yourself further than what you are doing right now, do it. If you have a day job, look for a part-time job or side-hustle to increase your earnings. Learn new skills to make you more productive and competitive.

Choose the right design and fit.

You don’t go on through life like a headless chicken. Instead, discovering and planning what you want to do in life is where you should spend most of your time early in your career.

Like shopping for a new pair of shoes, they should fit comfortably. You should like the style, design, and colors, and you should be proud wearing them. Choose meaningful goals. Choose a profession not because your Dad told you to take but rather take a profession that you believe will give you more meaning in life.

Instead of doing the norm as everyone does, take the time and find out what activities you do best. Discover your passion. Find out what works based on your interest, and if you find an undertaking that you can throw your mind and heart into, then your success will be most rewarding and fulfilling.

Now, start shopping for the next pair of shoes.

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