I have been thinking about success lately. I have been following several podcasts and speakers who focus on success, and it has me considering “what is success?” and how do I define it for myself.
Merriam-Webster defines success as “the fact of getting or achieving wealth, respect, or fame… the correct or desired result of an attempt… someone or something that is successful… a person or thing that succeeds.
Dictionary.com adds: “the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors; the accomplishment of one’s goals.”
I prefer to think of success not as an end-goal, but rather as a series of milestones along the way. Success is individual. Unfortunately, we often measure our success against the (perceived) success of others. Still what does “success” mean for me? for you? Honestly, I don’t know that I have the answer. Personally, I feel that success is a bit nebulous. Where do I draw the line? Is success a dollar amount in the bank? Is it a specific number of articles published? Is it professional respect? If it is respect then from whom? Is it…?
There is no doubt that we should all set out to accomplish “great things” in our lives. We should dream big. We should be extraordinary. But….
Andrew Carnegie once said: “There is little success where there is little laughter.” Success, however it is defined, is worthless if it comes at the cost of happiness. Opportunity comes at a cost. Doing great things requires effort. Effort comes at the expense of other aspects of one’s life. Building a successful business, training to become an elite athlete, etc. will have to draw energy away from something. These cost time with family, time spent on personal health/well-being, and so on. Of what value is success in one area of life if it leads to failure in other areas? True success adds value to others and to the other areas of one’s life.
In a recent post, I wrote about feeling on the “successful side of mediocre.” I suspect that all of us who are neither wealthy (a quite subjective standard) nor famous feel like this from time to time. We feel like we have done well, but not quite well enough. I think this is healthy. We should always strive to be better—be your best today; be better tomorrow. We need to set goals, and we need to expect increasingly more of ourselves. The challenge, however, is to not beat ourselves up and feel as though we are failures because we are not living lives of wealth and fame. The world doesn’t need more billionaires and celebrities as much as it needs parents, teachers, coaches, and ordinary people who have extraordinary impact on the people around them.
There are times, as a university professor, that I look at my salary and my vita (resume) and feel inadequate. I compare myself to some of my peers and look at people with lesser experience cashing in on ideas I have had. Rather than wallow in self-pity, I regain my center and consider what I have accomplished and what my students have accomplished. I may not have found wealth and celebrity (yet), but I can measure success in the lives that I have inspired. It may not be me who saves lives or creates some great product, but I can have a hand in the success of those I teach. I can accept this—though I will continue to expand my reach and dream big.
Each of us has an opportunity to attain (extra)ordinary success. Such success comes in committing ourselves to doing our best in everything that we are called upon to do. There is no job that is of greater value than another. We find ourselves in diverse careers and opportunities. Sometimes this is by choice. Sometimes this is by circumstance. Nevertheless, we must always commit ourselves to excellence. Success is in being the best at what you are doing today and being better tomorrow.
Well-centered fitness is the key to (extra)ordinary success. Focus on the spiritual, physical, intellectual, emotional, and social dimensions in your life and you will be successful. Balance that which is necessary for you to be successful in your dreams with what is necessary for you to be successful at like. There is no greater failure than to have attained fame and riches at the cost of one’s health and relationships. (Extra)ordinary success adds value to the world. It leaves a lasting legacy.
I am reminded of one of my favorite Lynyrd Skynyrd songs from my youth: Simple Man. For me, I can say that I am truly successful until that moment I pass from this earth and can see what I have left in my wake. [The thought just struck me that we call the social gathering held in honor of someone’s death a “wake.” This is truly the one time when one’s true success is measured.] What impression will I leave on the world? My hope for you is that your will do what you love and understand and that you will be satisfied. Above all else, that you will be (extra)ordinarily successful in these things.
“Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so you shall become. Your vision is the promise of what you shall one day be; your ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil.”—James Allen