On Acceptance and Success

Success, if I were to define it, does not rely on a person’s social status, nor is it his educational background, but relies mostly on his ability to adapt to the changes in his environment. Of course, no man dreams to be a failure. One thrives to be “successful” as it is dictated by society.

It is then his failure to comprehend the changes around him that makes him become unable to progress. The only way a person can become more in tuned with his surroundings and become adaptable to these changes is to be mindful to what is being said and being done by the majority of the people around him.

Whether we like it or not, we as human beings thrive on social acceptance and to be “socially acceptable” we observe, consult, and follow what is being said and done by the people directly or indirectly within our social circle. Whether intentionally or subconsciously our decisions and our actions are the result of other people’s guidance. And the people we usually approach for help or advice, are the people whom we wish to invoke acceptance or approval from.

Close-mindedness and failure to be guided by what others believe to be the right direction you should take, therefore not only results to the inability to progress, but also greatly affects how you are perceived to be in the society. Thus leads to your social accountability, in which case you are driven to ask, “Are my decisions fair? Is it socially and lawfully admissible?”. These are just a few questions we could ask ourselves, if it is in the event that we make or do actions without consulting other people. But even then, we are guided by our sense of what others would think. We are no longer bound by what we should do, but by what we can do in order to succeed, and how others can help us become successful in whatever feat we wish to pursue.