Ralph Carlson Blog

We Listen to the Wrong People.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/uncleweed/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

I think we learn the wrong definition of success because we mostly know unsuccessful people. To unsuccessful people, success is reaching a level of accomplishment above their level and which they believe is not possible for them to achieve. They view it as an end state; the destination, the end of the road, the pinnacle. But they are wrong. Success isn’t like that at all. It is a process. It is a way of living.

Success is not a Trophy

Success is nothing like a trophy that you can put on a shelf and admire forever or keep in a safe deposit box. It can’t be captured. It can’t be preserved. Yet we continue to misperceive it. What we think of as success, whether it is a level of income or recognition, an elected position or important job, happens because of a way of thinking and managing life that gets us there. If we mistake any point on the path (those accomplishments) as success and forget the process that got us there, we won’t have them for long. When the success process is abandoned, the accomplishments will fall away. Only by doing the things that got us to the top can we stay at the top or move on to another accomplishment. Think of the politicians that forgot the constituents that elected them. Think of the people that strive to reach a job level and then relax. They don’t stay at that level and they quickly fall back.

Don’t be fooled.

So don’t be fooled into thinking that success is an accomplishment because this is setting yourself up for failure. Instead remember that success is a way of thinking that focuses on self-improvement and self-mastery to make the most of your abilities and the opportunities around you. And don’t forget the positive attitude that looks for opportunities in a field of challenges.

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