The Secret to Success

Let me ask you a question.

\”Who is the most successful person you know of?\”

Interesting question isn\’t it?

My guess is that a whole lot of very famous and talented people spring to your mind?

Now try to answer this:

\”Why do you regard that person as the most successful person you know of?\”

[box type=\”shadow\”]“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”

– Maya Angelou[/box]

My guess is that your answer goes something along these lines:

• … is one of the richest people on earth.
• … is on the Forbes Top 100 list.
• … has built more businesses than anyone else.
• … has sold more records/films than anyone else.
• … is one of the most influential people on earth.
• … has more TV viewers than anyone else.
• … has a bigger following of fans than anyone else.
• … has had a more dramatic turnaround of fortunes than anyone else.

A common definition of success

In modern society most people would relate to a definition of success that is based on the attainment of material wealth, possessions or status.

The term ‘success’ has become equated not only with what and how much we have but – more importantly – how others might perceive of that.

Looking outwards, not inwards

So we tend to judge how successful we are by seeking validation and affirmation from the external world; looking outwards, rather than inwards.

And when it comes to how others might perceive of us, we all have very different yardsticks for measuring this.

For instance, I might think that my neighbour is successful because he has a better home and drives a superior car to me. On the other hand, he might think his boss, who earns double his salary and owns a holiday home in Spain, is a good example of someone who is successful. His boss, in turn, looks to one of his best friends from school who is now a globetrotting multi millionaire, as his benchmark of success!

A relative – and elusive – concept

The point I am making is that success, in the way most humans have chosen to define and measure it, is a relative concept. As such, it is, for many of us, as elusive as the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

No wonder then that so many of us go through life feeling frustrated at our lack of success and constantly searching in the external world for the \’magic formula or \’silver bullet\’ that will guarantee our \’success\’.

In pursuing the external world validation that will confer on us this elusive state of success, it is easy to lose sight of who we truly are at a deep level; to lose connection with our very own source; to lose appreciation for what makes us feel good rather than what makes us look good in the eyes of others.

A more empowering way

There is another far more empowering way to define success, viz. \’the accomplishment of what was aimed at\’.

And there is a far more relevant and accurate way to measure it, viz. by how happy we feel on the inside.

By viewing success, not as what we achieve relative to others but what we achieve relative to our own inner ambitions, we immediately remove its elusiveness and take back the power to create our own success.

A simple formula

If you\’re comfortable with the notion that we are all here on earth for a reason; that we all have a purpose for our life, then you will appreciate that authentic success is simply the accomplishment of anything that contributes to that purpose.

Authentic success – when our actions and behaviours are synchronised with the achievement of our life\’s purpose – manifests in feelings of profound happiness.

So the true measure of our success is how happy we feel on the inside.

It\’s a simple formula but one we often overlook.

Level of happiness = level of success

The secret is out

The secret to success lies in how we define and measure it … and how well we understand ourselves!