"Tell me what you have achieved so far in your life?",asked my friend when I clocked 50 last week.I looked at him and started looking for some answers. Slowly I tried to list the answers like I got a degree,got the  job of a CEO on one of KLSE listed company, incorporated and developed my own companies and have a reasonally happy family.I told him that I have also done some travels overseas..

To my astonishment, he said that all those that I have mentioned are not "my" achievements. Those are things that I did for myself are not my achievements,he explained! Then , I said what  are my achievements? I could not swallow that I have been working for last 26 years for nothing! Zero?

According to him, my achievements are those that others have achieved from what I have done.For examples, if my sons got a degree,then it is my achievement,if my wife has a good life is my achievement, if I inspired others to succeed and do good things are  also also my achievements. In short, what others have achieved  as a result of my contributions are MY achievement and NOT what I have done for myself. He ,being a non-muslim but quite well read in Islam, even mentioned to me about the "ummah"-the community. How do we serve God? To serve HIM, we have to serve the "ummah"!

Do you agree with his view?

I bet many of us have different views on what is OUR ACHIEVEMENTS. May be it is just  a matter of definations?The Oxford Dictionary the word "achieve" is "bring about or accomplish by effort,skills or courage" and achievement is the thing we achievedThen,everyone is right according to his/her defination of "my achievment"?.Let's then agree to disagree and celebrate our differences...but then there must be a world view of what is achievement so that poor soul like me can bench-mark against it and improve as I go along.

At first I disagree with my learned friend but on second thought, he has a point. If I got my Ph D,so what?Similarly, if I become a  millionaire,so what?( both of which I have not achieved yet) What goods are all these 'success dimensions' if no one benefits from me except myself?

On second review, my achievements are very little indeed. Of course, I must take care of my interests but  equally important I have to look for what I could do for the ummah. Many a time , I am on the receiving end. As mentioned in the hadiths( the sayings of the Prophet Muhamad pbuh),"Tangan yang memberi lebih baik dari tangan yang menerima".

Once in a while, I think it is imperative for us to re-examine our thoughts and assumptions with the learned men/women. What we think or most of the time we assumed, may need a review. If we keep asking the wrong questions, we will continue getting the wrong answers.

Let's go backward a bit on why do we want to achieve somethings in our life? Is it to please ourselves,our family ,our friends or to show off to the whole wide world? Once we know the reasons, then we must decide what we want to achieve because there are a lot of things we can try our hands on. Then, I wish good luck in your persuance of what we call achievements.

On third thought( after the second one), it appears to me our achievements are just like milestones on the road of our journey in life.What if we did not achieve anything? Does it really matter that we must achieve something? Does it means that the more milestones we have, the nearer we are to our destination or purpose in life? The thing that worries me more is that I may have a few milestones but I am on the wrong road;and it may not take me to where I am supposed to be going!