How do you define success? For some people I suppose this is an easy answer, however it is something I have wrestled with. Is it the absence of failure? Is it making money or profit? Is it the lack of stupidity? These all CAN be a component of success, but they are not in and of themselves - success.
A couple of entrepreneurs that I think highly of are Guy Kawasaki and Richard Branson. They each have exceptional perspective and make a great deal of sense to me. To answer the question "What is Success?" I am going to quote the last words from the last chapter from Branson's lastest book "Business Stripped Bare" because it is (obviously) what I believe. Here it is:
"Success for me is whether you have created something that you can be really proud of. Profits are necessary to invest in the next project - and pay the bills, repay investors and reward all the hard work - but that's not all...what matters is whether you've created something special - and whether you've made a real difference to other people's lives. Entrepreneurs, scientists and artists who died as paupers are often the heros"
Now to be clear, I am certainly intent on making a lot of money and one could look at this and say "those are easy words for a billionaire to say". And Branson does have the luxury of sitting in a very high place. But position does not change truth. And that is the truest description of success I have seen in a long long time. What are you going to be proud of today?
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Success is simply defined as the achievement of your personal goals that you set before setting out on any given venture - while learning something of value during the experience. Only you can define what those goals were.
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment and I welcome your response. However, I think your definition of Success will lead you down a path to disappointment. Let's say your 'personal goals' are three fold. If you achieve two out of three, are you still successful or have you failed? To say that "Only you can define what those goals were" is too personal and narrow. It is the philosophical equivalent of saying there is no absolute truth, there is only what is right in each individuals eyes and life. I do not subscribe to this thought and I think that it is invalid. Success can be found in the face of failing to meet personal goals. My experience has taught me that I (and most overachievers) set personal goals too high in the first place. If I judged success on that, I would be a basket case. Business and life are too fluid.
Colin - you're a thinker for sure :) [that's a compliment] Personally, I think success changes over time in everyone's life. It has for me. I like this quiz -
ReplyDeleteName the ten wealthiest men in the world.
Name the last ten Heisman trophy winners.
Name the last ten winners of the Miss America contest.
Name eight people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer prize.
How about the last ten Academy Award winners for best picture or the last decade’s worth of World Series winners?
How did you do? I didn’t do well either. With the exception of you trivia hounds, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday too well. Surprising how quickly we forget, isn’t it? And what I’ve mentioned above are no second-rate achievements. These are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.
Here’s another quiz. See how you do on this one.
Think of three people you enjoy spending time with.
Name ten people who have taught you something worthwhile.
Name five friends who have helped you in a difficult time.
List a few teachers who have aided your journey through school.
Name half-a-dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you.
Easier? It was for me, too. The lesson? The people who make a difference are not the ones with the credentials, but the ones with the concern - Max Lucado
Dear Dan,
ReplyDeleteGood to hear from you brother. True words, for sure. Thanks.
It's great to hear these words and be reminded what success truly is from those that I know and can see their achievements. One of the hardest things for me to always grasp is the distance that the success line is away from its start. Being influenced by my generation and all the resources we have and how quickly I can obtain most things, success is the one thing that I have yet to reach and that I have to remember it’s not instant in fact it's far from that. As I study other men, that are far greater than I am, I begin to learn that success comes out of rough beginnings and stems from failure but survives through persistence and the unwillingness to accept defeat. It can rarely if ever be judged monetarily but instead relies on internal reflection and the gage of other men that are in your inner circle. At least I hope this is right, even though I have yet to achieve it, but I pray that through other men I’ll be able to notice it once it has come.
ReplyDeleteMichael,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments. You just gave me the topic for my next blog...'The Distance'. Thanks for reading and thank you for your input.