Mark Eting

Success Defines Us

Socrates believed that the inner excellence of a person created success. Everyone has their own definition of what it means to be successful. Here’s a guide to help you realize your definition.

If you were to ask everyone you've met for their definition of success, no two answers will be exactly alike - nor should they be. My personal definition is: Success is a daily realization of predetermined worthwhile goals, worthwhile both to me and to others.

Socrates was convinced that we give the best attention to the least important things and the least attention towards the most important things. He believed that “wealth doesn’t achieve excellence, but excellence brings about wealth and all other private and non-private blessings for men.” It was the state of our souls which was of the highest importance to Socrates: the inner life of every person, greatness of spirit, wisdom, inner excellence.

After we give precedence to the inner, both inner and outer fall into place. Once we follow the alternative course, emptiness will result. Success as I define it begins with something in the inner life of thought, feeling, imagination, and judgment. Success as I define it resonates deeply with our innermost needs and values, which then naturally manifests in your outer world. Only then can we attain the harmony and balance necessary for true happiness and true success.

The search for achievement should be an exciting and fulfilling adventure, where the enjoyment is in the journey. I’ve said it before: one should not approach the road to success as one on which we travel today to reach success tomorrow. Aspirations to succeed and excel ought to drive us every day. Or, most days, anyway!

What do you want?
We require a focused conception of what we want, a vivid vision, a goal or set of goals powerfully imagined. What do you want to be? What do you want to do? Do you think you're becoming it now? Are you beginning to do it already, if only in a small way? If not, why not? What are you waiting for? If you’re moving in a general direction you feel better about, do you think you're making the sort of progress you think that is acceptable?

Believe in yourself!
We must believe that we can attain our goals. When we set ourselves high goals, we always face a challenge. The great Harvard psychologist and philosopher William James said that we must learn to banish unhelpful doubts and cultivate beneficial self-confidence. Whenever we set new goals we believe in, higher goals we aspire to, and whenever we face new opportunities for growth and development, it’s easy for doubt to rush in and catch us.

Focus!
Dreamers can live inside the confines of condition and frequently are unable to accomplish anything within the real world. Their imaginations are in gear, their visions are vivid, but they’re unable to take the leap from their dreams toward their goals. We need to concentration on making things happen; what it requires to get from A to Z, if you will.

Commit!
We want an emotional commitment to the importance of what we’re doing, and to the people with whom we are doing it. It is a commitment expressed not in a single action, nor even in a number of actions over a period of time but in an entire way of life. It means committing one’s self to becoming a “successful” person. In the immortal words of Vince Lombardi, “The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.”

Finally, keep in mind that how we define success defines us. How do you define success? How does society define you?

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