At a time when self-help books are dime a dozen on how to attain success in one’s life, job, profession and business, there are not many who attempted to give different perspectives of success.
Is it earning name, fame, money, position and living up to the standards set by the the society to be acknowledged as being successful ? Or is it the attaining the goal set by an individual for himself or herself which need not be evaluated in materialistic terms ? Even more puzzling is the question whether attaining success as perceived by the society guarantee happiness. If happiness is a state of mind, then what does the glamorous word ‘success’ actually mean to different people?
These are the questions that engaged this IAS officer of Telangana cadre Burra Venkatesham. A self-made man who hailed from a poor and illiterate family and charted his own path.
“I realised that success meant differently to different people and also witnessed success changing different people differently. Some one’s success resulted in all round happiness, benefiting society at large. On the other hand history is replete with examples of how success of some persons brought misery to people around. This churning in my mind spurred me to pen Selfie of Success , he told The Hindu .
“Many books so far showcased success as the most fascinating and noble endeavour towards everlasting enjoyment and glory. But there are many not-so-appealing aspects of success. Ego is the after effect of success and some cannot come out of it. Not all the persons on the journey of success have laudable goals or thoughts. Then there are those who join the rat race to achieve success by hook or crook.
Interestingly, Mr. Venkatesham’s book gives equal focus on side effects of success — ego; sins of success — arrogance, pride, greed and envy with examples of real life stories.
