A trivial question was recently asked to me. The question was: "What is Success?" I answered, "It means that you have made a lot of money." He walked away but the question stuck with me. What can be defined as a success? Well, to answer this age-old question, I've had to do quite a bit of research. By research I mean I've read what the great philosophers, entrepreneurs, writers and general wise men have had to say. And I think I can now answer this question with better accuracy.

To start off, I'll give you the dictionary's definition: "Success is the accomplishment of an aim or purpose" In other words, you have to know where you're going. Think about it. If you have a vision or a goal of where you plan to be, then you will be successful in doing it, if you don't lose sight of this goal. What your goals are is entirely up to you. J.C. Penny said: "Give me a stock clerk with a goal and I'll give you a man who will make history. Give me a man with no goals and I'll give you a stock clerk."

Another thing that the definition tells us is that you must accomplish your goals in order to experience success. This makes sense right? This is also the hardest part. This part is called, "Work" Ugh! I hate that word or rather, the activity, which it implies. So, you must dutifully perform the work. If you don't, you will not succeed. Lloyd Jones said it best: "Those who try to do something and fail are infinitely better than those who try nothing and succeed"

Don't be afraid to go after what you want. Far too often, when people set out to do something they run into one or more of their fears. Fear is the rival of success, because fear can cripple you. So many times, I have watched people (Including myself) come face-to-face with one of their fears and they simply, quit. The only way I know of to extinguish fear is by finding your “why” in life. If your “why” is big enough, then your fears will be overcome. And, you cannot succeed if you are paralyzed by fear.

A lot of people get confused and think that when you get a lot of money then you will be successful. This is the thought behind the get-rich-quick theory of life. If you won the lotto, this won’t make you a successful person. You’ll probably lose all that you won. The truth is this: Success comes before wealth. Isaac Newton’s third law states this: “Every action has an equal and opposite reaction” This is why you must do the work in order to succeed If you think you can succeed by diluting other people, you will only end in diluting yourself.

If someone were to ask me again, “What is success?” I would probably use a quote from the great Earl Nightingale. It goes like this: “Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal.” So, find your goal in life. Go work towards your goal. Don’t fear the obstacles, but focus on the results. Keep your mind clear and free of distractions. Finally, don’t stop until you’ve achieved that goal and you will find yourself with a higher goal, a higher purpose in life. Living a life with purpose is so much more fulfilling than living in darkness.


“The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen.” - Frank Lloyd Wright