Success Asks Much of You

"The common denominator

of success of every man"

(woman ) "who has ever been

successful

lies in the fact that he (she) formed

the habit of doing things

that failures don't like to do."

Albert Gray

Whether education or luck is more important as it relates to success in life deserves consideration. Perhaps, before reading on, it is necessary to define the meaning of ‘success’ to you. In your mind, what do you consider to be an indication of success? Ask yourself: when I think of someone who is successful, what is it about that person’s life that makes me label them successful? Money? Stature in the community? Ability to accomplish goals? Creating a new gadget, plan, device that is widely accepted and used? Other factors?

We can agree on one thing...success does involve planning and goal setting regardless of how you think someone becomes successful. Short and long term goals do make a difference in the life of a successful person. Success does demand much of you. It requires persisitence and diligence and a will to be.

Each one of us can be a success at our life's work. It is a process and takes commitment and a desire to be in search of success.

On the surface it seems it would be easy to decide. Why, education, many would say. On closer investigation that may not be totally so.

Consider this for a moment. If you have the fortune (luck) to be born into a family that can provide you with the greatest opportunities and experiences, you have both educational opportunities and ‘luck’ (All other things aside..such as indifference on the part of the family or abuse). . It would be close to impossible to figure out which was the cause of that person’s success.

However, those born into such situations are not always ‘successful’. Making poor choices can greatly skew the end result.

Being lucky may result in part in making ‘educated’ decisions. Not ‘book learnin’’ education but innate ability to observe a situation and make a decision based on past experience which results in a positive result. Luck? Education?

Sometimes, situations arise which appear to be cases in which success would be clearly based on education. For example, many scholarships are based on academic or sports ability. Many jobs require ‘education’ in some area or field of specialization. Sometimes, if you are ‘lucky, you receive one or both of the above without the requisite ‘education.’

It appears that this writer leans toward ‘luck’ as being more important than education in relation to success. And, you may be correct.

One may possess all of the education in the world and if ‘luck’ prevails over reason and logic, the education obviously was not the deciding factor. It was ‘being in the right place at the right time,’ knowing the right person, or knowing the right person that knows the right person, or being observed by someone who found promise in you. And, to act wisely as a result of that perception and knowledge Therefore, education and luck are not the real determinants of success. Education, luck, and common sense are.

Having all three is a ‘weathervane’ of sorts for determining success.

Perhaps one cannot really have one without the other. That brings us back to where we began…. Think again for a moment about those you consider to be successful.

What criteria do you use to determine ‘success’? Is it in your eyes based on their solvency, their amassed amount of wealth and possessions? Or, have you determined success to be based on some other criteria? After you decide, then think about that one individual or those individuals and ask yourself, ‘which of those do they possess’? Ask yourself, too, what do you consider ‘education’? Is it formal learning inside of a building or on-line? Is it ‘real life’ education? Or, is it both?

Can one become successful and then be derailed? If so is it possible to come back from being derailed? I believe ‘yes’ is the answer to both questions.

Follow your internal gps.

Listen to your inner voice. Cautiously observe those you find to be successful. Ask them what they believe about success. Read about what successful people have written about the road to success.

Choose.

And Become a work in progress…refining, revisiting, redoing, rethinking.

Just one last little thought…failure at one thing, one endeavor, does not mean YOU are a FAILURE. It just means that was not your niche, you were not ‘good’ at that. IF you really worked at it

Just know there are those who define success in a specific way, put it in a mold, and say….’if you do this, this, and this, you will be successful. Some of the advice is sound. Some is not.

I guess it is kind of like ‘which came first? The chicken or the egg?

Which comes first for you? Education or luck? Or both?

"DESIRE is the starting point of all achievement,

not the hope, not the wish,

but a keen

pulsating desire that transcends everything."

Napoleon Hill, author of Think and Grow Rich wrote those words. Agree? Disagree? Ponder them for a bit and use your life as a reference to them.

Wealth is a measure of success. Not the only measure but a measure.

What follows is a list of some who have met that standard.

The top 10 richest individuals in the United States in 2011 according to Forbes are:

Bill Gates

Warren Buffett

Larry Ellsion

Charles Koch/David Koch

Christy Walton

George Soras

Sheldon Adelson

Jim Walton

Alice Walton

If your measure of success is amassing great wealth, these individuals apparently know what it takes. Research them to find out what it is that causes their success.

There are many more in our country and throughout the world who are wealthy...and many more wealthy than these named here.

If you are interested in others who are successful there are many ways you can explore the topic. Most influential, most influential politician, most influential athlete, most influential actor, actress, author...and on and on. There is a succession of those who some have determined to be successful according to a given set of criteria.

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