Assess Success with Internal Auditing

Aug 4, 2004, 12.00pm IST
Akhil Chandra.

Often what you call success is judged by others as failure. This was G D Birla's philosophical reply to reporters who asked him to comment on his success in building one of the largest business houses in the country.


When you look back and attempt to analyse what you really achieved in life and whether you could call yourself successful, you will find that you are unable to define "success". That's because with every new stage in life, your perception of success changes. When young, most of us are engaged in pursuit of material comforts and money. But after a point, when our basic needs are satisfied, money only breeds dissatisfaction. Arrogance, fear, greed and disharmony affect our mental and physical well-being.


As we grow older, we start becoming more conscious of our other needs in society related to love and belonging, and in building relationships. Finally, we feel the urge for self-actualisation. The overall success of a man can possibly be measured by summing up the total of everything including achieving material comforts, health, social recognition, mental satisfaction and spiritual achievements.


Abraham Maslow, in propounding a theory of hierarchy of needs, has analysed human behaviour by categorising various needs on a lower to higher scale. The lowest are physiological needs — for sleep and rest, food, drink, shelter and sex. This is followed by the need for safety from any harm; the need to be loved and to feel wanted; esteem and social acceptance, recognition, reputation, appreciation, status, prestige; understanding and knowledge to satisfy curiosity, explore, discover, find solutions, look for relationships and meaning, and seek intellectual challenges; the need for growth, development and utilisation of potential — towards self-fulfilment and attaining to higher consciousness and self-actualisation. Self-actualisation is the topmost end of the hierarchy. Since our behaviour is controlled by both internal and external factors, Maslow says that we have the unique ability to make choices and exercise free will. Hence we are faced with multiple choice every now and then.
We are bound by our own actions as they define the future. This will also decide whether you achieve overall satisfaction and fulfilment in the end. Choice of means play a key role in deriving fulfilment of happiness and satisfaction. Means adopted with right conduct coupled with goodness, truthfulness and fearlessness is what most scriptures recommend.

Over-indulgence in the lower order needs should be avoided as one may lose out on other fronts. There is a law of equilibrium in nature and a price has to be paid for every achievement in life. If you are overly career-oriented, you might have to spend less time at home. Pursuit of money to satisfy only lower order needs may not bring peace and harmony.
Emperor Ashoka, initially, was in hot pursuit of materialistic comforts and self-esteem. But just this did not give him the satisfaction he was yearning for. He realised his folly only after the Kalinga "victory" — and then he turned his thoughts to self-actualisation by fulfilling his spiritual needs.


Opportunities there are aplenty. The onus is on you to make the most of it while fulfilling the needs through rightful means. Ideally all material needs can be achieved with limited time and energy. The rest is up to you — to balance your objectives and create a suitable policy of life. Periodically, you could take stock and check if your achievements are balanced in fulfilling your needs in all walks of your life. This kind of internal auditing can help take one closer to self-fulfilment and realisation.