Manage success wisely
By Jean Ricot Dormeus
Thriving Caribbean family Bert had enjoyed the services of housemaid Mercina for about 5 years. Then Mercina left her job to migrate to the US. She kept in touch with her former boss. In the meantime, the fate of the Berts took a turn for the worst due to changes in government. Their finances declined to the point that Mrs. Bert had to migrate to the US as well. Guess where she stayed as a guest for a few months? At Mercina’s house. The ups and downs in life sometimes push us where we expect the least. In such difficult situations, a mouse would save a lion who had managed success wisely.
Often, success begets euphoria, a sense of pride and even invincibility. We escape the overconfidence bias by remaining level-headed, knowing that life is a roller-coaster. We may need to adjust and change. Nothing on Earth lasts forever. In the midst of success, we are fortunate if we keep our focus and strive for greater success.
Fleeting success is well known in the business world. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 20 percent of small businesses fail within the first year. By the end of the second year, 30 percent of businesses will have failed. By the end of the fifth year, about half will have failed. And by the end of the decade, only 30 percent of businesses will remain — a 70 percent failure rate.
Success in the first year doesn’t guarantee success in the 5th or 10th year. As Winston Churchill said, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
Many variables may factor in whatever success we experience. Of course we value our abilities and attitude, but external forces and imponderables may well be the wind in our sails. Managing success wisely appears to be the key to greater success.
Jean Ricot Dormeus
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