Success – How do you define it?

Over the course of the next month, I am going to look at some definitions of “success”. Not only the text-book answers, but some relative, human answers we all would find in our hearts.

A few weeks ago, my wife and I spent a week in Jamaica celebrating our 1-year anniversary. In addition to all the relaxation, it gave me time to finish reading “The 7 Habits…” in-depth and cover some areas of personal interest. I really wanted to understand them and make them a part of me. Why? I feel that there is more to life than just “having a job and making money”. Granted, it is important to have income, as it is the means to several ends. I want to work hard for all the right reasons. To be at the core of who I am. I want to be a principle-centered person. To be successful in all the areas in my life that are important.

To be a great husband, to “be there” for family and friends, dependable coworker/team-member. Not to mention contribute to my church/community whenever possible. However, “success” for me may not be the same definition of success to others. It really is something relative and quite unique to each of us.

Isn’t there a song on the radio that goes “I want to be a billionaire… “? I’m sure many of us identify with that song. Quite honestly, it would be great to not have to worry about making ends meet on a monthly basis and enjoy life. However, money is not my preferred measure of success in my life. For some, money may be their “reason for being” – why you work, live, got married, etc. If money/power were my center, my successes in life and everything else would revolve around that. Is that what I want? What is more, I should really take a step back and ask myself - is that a strong center? If money was my all, how would I hold-up to the “Storms of Life” if my core is made up of the “need for wealth”? 

Recently, I came across one of Channel 7’s broadcasts on “Mind Games” covering “Self Help Gurus”. I felt a lot of the report “hit home” regarding my learning on Leadership. How is that? Although categorized as “Self-Help”, I feel anything that covers improving your life by taking your own initiative should be called “Self-Leadership”. I know it’s become a very popular topic – with whole sections in book stores now dedicated to it. But, just like anything that is powerful, it needs to be wielded properly. The report covers something I had heard about regarding a “Spiritual Warrior” retreat and an incident where lives where lost (see a post on it here). I had no idea how bad things could get when people follow without question. Granted, people seeking for the answers to success will turn to those have “achieved success”. However, to follow a leader – look before you leap. We are not Lemmings.

By the way - I Love Despair.com.

Most of us may have heard of that book “The Secret”. Although I have not read it, my understanding is that it reveals the “Secret to Success” via “the laws of attraction”. Apparently, if you eat, drink and sleep a given goal, you will achieve it. I would actually like to read this book, since I am sure it has much merit and things that are fundamentally along the lines of “self-fulfilling prophecies”. However, it has received much negative criticism as it borderlines aspects of a cult – See the Wikipedia here. I’ll debate a little longer on reading it – perhaps the audio book will do ;-)

I am not going to go into the details of what you should or shouldn’t do, who’s right and who’s wrong. If you are reading this, I trust you make your own choices and will think through the consequences. What I do have to say, is that true leadership does not expect their followers to go out of their way (or put themselves in danger for that matter) to reach a goal or objective. On the contrary – a True Leader is one who goes out of his/her way to ensure his followers have all that they need to succeed in obtaining the objective or reaching their goals. Furthermore, a true leader will not boast about his/her success, nor take credit for other’s successes.

So - How do you define success? At home, at work or your hobby... whatever it may be, please share your thoughts.

In closing, I leave you with this great quote I came across this week that goes to the heart of the matter:

 

“Go to the people. Live with them. Learn from them. Love them. Start with what they know. Build with what they have. But with the best leaders, when the work is done, the task accomplished, the people will say "We have done this ourselves”.”

-Lao Tzu