Quote:
Originally Posted by Eddie38
Define success.
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The best definition I've heard is one that is compatible with pretty much anyone. You've likely heard answers relating to money, happiness, or whatever, but these are limiting and/or ambiguous. (How do you measure happiness?)
Earl Nightingale was a broadcaster coming out of the '50s who became a motivational speaker. This is back to a time before motivational speakers, life coaches, and self-help books became a multi-million dollar industry and before you started getting bullshit like
The Secret. Nightingale was often copied, and there is a good reason. He's probably the most genuine source of advice in terms of success and motivation. His stuff is now a bit old-fashioned, but it still has great value.
His definition: "Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal."
He kept it simple. If you can come up with a worthy ideal, and if you can take the steps to reach it, then you are successful. But success isn't something you get. It's something you keep accomplishing. Once you succeed and reach a goal, you set another one and keep going. This is what success is. It doesn't matter what job you have or how much money you make. As long as you have a worthy ideal and you see it come to fruition, then you are successful.
I'm sure you could come up with some concrete examples of what a worthy ideal would be for you. But the question is, will you do what it takes to achieve it?
All of this stuff. It is what you make of it. It won't do anything for you. You have to do the work. Nothing worth achieving comes easy. It takes focus and self-discipline. Nightingale was quick to point out that most people don't do this. Many people don't even sit down to think about what they really want.