4, 5, 6-The success ladder

Perplexed? You must be wondering what this is all about. 4, 5, 6?
Someone once told me, lectured me actually. He said remember these numbers and you will do great.
The trick is to imagine yourself to be number 5. He said "Let 6 be an inspiration to you and let 4 be the source of your happiness." Great advice though.
Yes! This is about failures and successes or rather just success.
This might not be motivating at all. No, this is not to motivate anyone. Honestly, it wouldn't, so don't go looking for motivation and encouragement down below.
So I thought and thought, day and night. 4, 5, 6.
I started looking for 4's. Why not 6? Trust me there is no dearth of 6's. Constantly you come across 6's in your life- your classmate maybe, your best friend maybe, your colleagues or maybe your brother.
Anyway, I was looking for 4's everywhere. I did not find one. Not a single one.
Then one night it occurred to me, what if I am 4 or what if I am still at 4? Can it be? Maybe I am.
Are you 4? Come on, this is definitely not about self criticism. This is a reality check. Sometimes, reality checks can motivate you, compel you to push harder. But, no am not here to motivate you. Remember, this is not about motivation.
One thing I don't get is how do we actually know if we are 4, 5 or 6? How did I know?
In our journey to search for 4’s and 6’s, we made a terrible mistake. We assigned a 6 to those who had better grades, were rich, had a bigger house, had a beautiful spouse, and were apparently happy. Is it that easy? But how can you judge a dancer on his bowling skills? Hold that thought! How would you know you are a dancer? Exactly! You will have to give it a shot. Has it ever occurred to you that there are so many things in the world left for you to try? You would probably die trying everything.
Finding something you like and you are great at is a very difficult journey. If you know this is the thing you would be doing even after 20 years, you are successful. But make sure you are a 6 at this thing.
I think I am going astray. This is not about 6’s. This is about 4’s.
I have seen people saying very casually “Work hard dear, rest everything will fall into place.”
“Hard work” – easy to say and spell. Who knows what the person went through during this 8 letter word? That is perhaps the irony. You have to kill yourself to simply write “I worked hard.”
Hard work is indeed very subjective. What is hard work to you might not be so hard for others. Because every time there would be someone somewhere who would work even harder and then again you will be a damn 4!
See? I told you this is all about 4’s.
No matter what a 4 does it will not become a 6. Well who wants to become a 6 when you are defined by a 4? Accept what are and start doing new things, things that make you happy, things that give you an adrenaline rush, things which thrill you, things which you look forward to every morning you wake up. And then 4, 5, 6 would mean nothing. You will be you.
Remember, this was not about motivation. Because at the end of the day, every one is a 4!

Author's Bio: 

Shireen is an aspiring author who writes on life experiences