Reflecting over the past year, members of the YALI Network Facebook community shared their thoughts and aspirations in response to the question “How do you define success?”
“To me, success is being able to rise above the narrow confines of my individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all Humanity,” wrote Nyasha Shoriwa from Zimbabwe.
Photographer Vince Ras Otti, writing from Kenya, had a similar definition:
“Success is bringing the people together and embracing humanity.”
Building a life that is based on a higher purpose than the self is another goal shared by YALI friends on Facebook.
“Success is knowing what you are born to do — your purpose of being on this earth — and working in that regard to impact the lives of the people around you, your environment and the world at large,” wrote Prosper Dzitse from Accra, Ghana.
The theme of persistence in the pursuit of one’s goals appeared to be a resounding aspiration among YALI Facebook friends.
“Success is being able to believe in your goals and dreams and pursue them till they become reality,” wrote Sindiswa Olivier from South Africa. He said your ability to chase “doubt and negativity out from your mind” and remain confident in your beliefs is another demonstration of success.
Nigerian Obiora Obetta observed that success “encompasses all breakthroughs and all failure from which you garner invaluable experiences for better result.”
Fred Valentim is a native Angolan living in Paraguay during 2014. “Success means to keep moving with our thoughts whether we do well or not, just moving forward for a good purpose. … Success means helping others dealing with failures [and] thinking better for a future of tomorrow.”
YALI Facebook friend Nkocngphile Davies Nkambule of Swaziland posted,
“Achieving dreams that seem to be impossible, that’s how I can define success.”
YALI Facebook friends clarified their views on success as a year-end exercise, but they also reflected on the life lessons that came to them over the past 12 months. From Kenya, Benedict Muyale Ben said, “Patience pays — you don’t have to be great to get started, but you [must] start to be great.”
Atiol Oduho, also from Kenya, advised, “Procrastination is the enemy of progress. Self-doubt is an obstacle to your potential. Being true to yourself is all the fuel you need for the success in any of your endeavours.”
Sudanese Altayeb Elsheikh closes the YALI Network reflections on 2014 with concise wisdom that shone most brightly through his year: “Keep learning, keep doing and keep improving.”
Go back to the YALI Network Facebook community and start networking!