Every man woman and child form, at an early age, a picture of success.  It can be a task, an exam, a relationship, a family, a job, or a lifestyle.  Each is formed based on the experiences we are witness from the earliest of days.  The goals are often set for us, some we set for ourselves as little challenges, and others are moving targets which can torture and haunt us for the duration of our lives.

What is “SUCCESS” ?

suc·cess (sk-ss) 

[Latin successus, from past participle of succdere, to succeed; see succeed.]

1. an event that accomplishes its intended purpose; “let’s call heads a success and tails a failure”; “the election was a remarkable success for the …

2. an attainment that is successful; “his success in the marathon was unexpected”; “his new play was a great success”

3. a state of prosperity or fame; “he is enjoying great success”; “he does not consider wealth synonymous with success”

4. achiever: a person with a record of successes; “his son would never be the achiever that his father was”; “only winners need apply”; “if you want to be a success you have to dress like a success”

5. the achievement of one’s aim or goal; financial profitability; a person who achieves his or her goals

6. means that the mission fulfilled its primary goals. In the case of flybys (such as gravity assists) that are incidental to the main mission, “success” indicates the successful completion of the flyby, not necessarily that of the main mission.

7. an act or occasion of winning, being victorious, or overcoming something

8. a favorable result

9. a goal accomplished

10. happiness, a life well lived

11. a purposeful act with an outcome, of which one is proud

How could one 7 letter word have so many definitions or applications?  The English language, unfortunately leaves many ambiguities in its written and spoken form.  Have you ever read  a book, how many do you read a year?  How did you rede or interpret the lessons within?  All three words have the same roots but mean quite different things.  The variations of meaning can be individual.

So many suggest they are an expert in SUCCESS, and how to accomplish it.  May I suggest that no-one is able to help you accomplish SUCCESS, and no-one is an expert in SUCCESS.  Boy, this can be very depressing, as many are looking to help to achieve success in their work, lives, family, projects, etc. and may be very very dissappointed to find that not one person can give you the “Keys to Success”  or the “Secrets to Success”.   Abdicating one’s responsibility to define, pin down, image SUCCESS is not the best approach, as you will also find yourself blaming others for your failure to achieve that definition of SUCCESS, once you have missed the define you created.

Success is nebulous, it is fuzzy, it is changing.  Boy, this is really getting hard, right?  How can I achieve something, accomplish a goal, if it is so difficult to pin down, and once I do, it changes???

Now, that is the best question you can be asking yourself.  I don’t agree with many of the experts who say “Write your goals down, be definitive, put your visions on a board, be specific, don’t give yourself room for wiggle”.   Although it is very important to have your goals clear, concise and well developed, many leave it at that, a picture of improbable, and the job is done!   Then what happens next?  We look at that goal, that photo of the perfect body, the most incredible dream house or dream boat or dream car, and we then go back to being the same old person who desires these things.  

Then the next phase settles in, “dissappointment”, not in ourselves, but in the “universe” or my “professor” or my “company” or my “boss” or my “coach”, because that vision board is still hanging in every room of my home, office, and even in my car, but it is still a 1978 Honda Civic with a side panel of the car in a different color due to an accident the prior owner had.

So many decide that goal setting is not worth it, since many do it, and the truth is nearly 95% of us who set goals, end there and never go to the most important next critical step.   Without this critical success factor step, failure is inevitable, dispare is almost guaranteed, and anger is imminant.  

WHAT IS YOUR DEFINITION OF SUCCESS?  Leave a comment below on your own definition and what it means to you and your life.

My next blog will discuss the next most critical step in tackling this thing we call SUCCESS.

Collaboratively Yours,

Robert

WVcoach@gmail.com

www.500kSuccessTeam.com