A Serene Success

What does holistic success mean and how can we attain it? What are the factors that govern it? Suma Varughese explores.

- Suma Varughese

Despite having pondered deep and long about the factors governing success, I only had an experience of what financial success felt like quite recently, in the early months of 2015 when I decided to hold workshops for writers.

I held a trial workshop in February 2015 for four friends and when they enthusiastically endorsed it, I announced it on Facebook. I was overwhelmed by the response. About 60 to 70 people from all over India eagerly petitioned to be part of the workshop. Being a brand new facilitator, I did not want more than 10 people for my first workshop in the second week of March. Sixteen stampeded in. The next week, I held it in Delhi and again was met with enthusiasm. Thereafter, I began to hold workshops almost every month. An announcement on Facebook, and a few Whatsapp messages would garner me a steady crowd of about 20 to 25 people. It has been two years since I started these workshops or courses as they later became known. And they continue to have enthusiastic takers. I have held them in Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Bangalore. In October 2016, I held an advanced workshop and that too was well received. I have not advertised these workshops save for the half pagers that appear in LP through the kind courtesy of my publisher. I cannot speak for the future, but as of now, the Universe seems to have scripted a delightful success story for me.

For I know that marketing a workshop can often be heavy going. In what is a saturated market, even advertising will not fetch you enough participants. So what, if at all anything, did I do differently?

I shall answer this later, but I can tell you it feels wonderful. To know that you have something others want is a terrific high. It is what all entrepreneurs, or indeed professionals, aspire to.

A runaway success