CONCEPT OF SUCCESS

CONCEPT OF SUCCESS:

DEFINITION:

What makes a person successful? How do we recognize success?

To some people, success might mean wealth. To others, it is recognition, good health, good family,

happiness, satisfaction, and peace of mind. What this really tells us is that success is subjective. It can

mean different things to different people.

The best definition for success is

“Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal”

Let's look at these definitions carefully.

 "Progressive" means that success is a journey, not a destination. We never arrive. After we reach

one goal, we go on to the next and the next and the next.

 "Realization" means it is an experience. Outside forces cannot make me feel successful. I have to

feel it within myself. It is internal not external.

 "Worthy" refers to our value system. Which way are we heading? Positive or negative?

Worthiness determines the quality of the journey. That is what gives meaning and fulfilment.

Success without fulfilment is empty.

 "Goals" are important. Because they give us a sense of direction.

GOALS:

Why Goals are important?

In a study conducted on students in the 1979 Harvard MBA program, only three percent of the

graduates had written goals and plans; 13 percent had goals, but they were not in writing; and 84 percent had set no goals at all. Ten years later, the findings revealed that 13 percent of the class who had goals were earning up to 84 percent compared to those who had not set any. For the three percent who defined their goals and wrote them down, they were earning on average, ten times as much as the other 97 percent put together.

Goal Setting:

Most People don't know how to set goals. Some set goals that are too general. These are, in reality,

fantasies common to everyone. Goals, on the other hand, are clear, written, specific, and measurable.

Most People fear failure. Failure hurts, but it is often necessary to experience failure in order to

achieve the greatest success. Do not unconsciously sabotage yourself by not setting any goals in which

you might fail. They fear rejection. People are often afraid that if they are unsuccessful at achieving a

goal, others will be critical of them. This is remedied by keeping your goals to yourself at the outset; let

others see your results and achievements once you've accomplished your goals.

Some goals are called away from goals. These are usually framed in the negative. Here are a few

examples.

• I don’t want to smoke anymore

• I don’t want to be unfit

• I don’t want to be overweight

• I don’t want to be broke

Now let’s reframe them in the positive

• I am a non smoker

• I am fit and healthy

• I am at my ideal weight

• I can cover my bills

Notice the difference. They are stated in the positive and take on the assumption that you have

achieved it already. By assuming “as if” your behaviour changes so that you are acting like to have

already achieved what you wanted to do. What a great feeling to have even before you have got there. It

also bolsters your motivation.

So now we have determined if our goal is towards something, or away from something. We have

now stated it in the positive. This however is still not a very well detailed goal. We will now look at how we can make it more specific.

An ideal goal should be expressed in the positive, be time bound and specific. You may also like

to consider, how will you know when you have achieved it, what will it feel like, what will the people

around you be like? What will you do to celebrate it?

A goal must be time bound. When do I want to have achieved it? If that’s when I want to achieve

it, then when must I start? What is the first step I need to take? Who should I tell? Should telling that

person be the first step? What skills or knowledge do I need to acquire along the way?

Goal size, is the goal too big to achieve? If so then breaking it down into smaller bite sized pieces

may be the right approach.

FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR SUCCESS:

1. Desire:

The motivation to success comes from the burning desire to achieve a purpose.

Napoleon Hill wrote, "Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve."

A young man asked Socrates the secret to success. Socrates told the young man to meet him near

the river the next morning. They met. Socrates asked the young man to walk with him toward the river.

When the water got up to their neck, Socrates took the young man by surprise and ducked him into the

water. The boy struggled to get out but Socrates was strong and kept him there until the boy started

turning blue. Socrates pulled his head out of the water and the first thing the young man did was to gasp

and take a deep breath of air. Socrates asked, 'What did you want the most when you were there?" The boy replied, "Air." Socrates said, "That is the secret to success. When you want success as badly as you wanted the air, then you will get it." There is no other secret.

A burning desire is the starting point of all accomplishment. Just like a small fire cannot give much heat, a weak desire cannot produce great results.

2. Commitment:

Integrity and wisdom are the two pillars on which to build and keep commitments. This point is best illustrated by the manager, who told one of his staff members, "Integrity is keeping your commitment even if you lose money and wisdom is not to make such foolish commitments." Prosperity and success are the result of our thoughts and decisions. It is our decision what thoughts will dominate our lives. Success is not an accident. It is the result of our attitude.

There is a big difference between playing to win and playing not to lose. When we play to win, we play with enthusiasm and commitment; whereas when we play not to lose, we are playing from a position of weakness. When we play not to lose, we are playing to avoid failure. We all want to win, but very few are prepared to pay the price to prepare to win. Winners condition and commit themselves to winning.

Playing to win comes out of inspiration, whereas playing not to lose comes out of desperation. There are no ideal circumstances. There will never be. To reach anywhere we cannot just drift nor lie at anchor. We need to sometimes sail with the wind and sometimes against it, but sail we must. Ask any coach or athlete what the difference between the best and the worst team is. There would be very little difference in their physique, talent and ability. The biggest difference you will find is emotional difference. The winning team has dedication and they make the extra effort. To a winner, the tougher the competition.

3. Responsibility

A duty which becomes a desire will ultimately become a delight. --George Gritter

People with character accept responsibilities. They make decisions and determine their own destiny in life. Accepting responsibilities involves taking risks and being accountable which is sometimes uncomfortable. Most people would rather stay in their comfort zone and live passive lives without accepting responsibilities. They drift through life waiting for things to happen rather than making them happen. Accepting responsibilities involves taking calculated, not foolish, risks. It means evaluating all the pros and cons, then taking the most appropriate decision or action. Responsible people don't think that the world owes them a living.

4. Hard Work:

Success is not something that you run into by accident. It takes a lot of preparation and character. Everyone likes to win but how many are willing to put in the effort and time to prepare to win? It takes

sacrifice and self-discipline. There is no substitute for hard work. Henry Ford said, "The harder you work, the luckier you get." The world is full of willing workers, some willing to work and the others willing to let them. 

        “I like to work half a day. I don't care if it is the first 12 hours or the second 12 hours.”

                                                                                             --Kammons Wilson, CEO of Holiday Inn

One cannot develop a capacity to do anything without hard work, just as a person cannot learn how to

spell by sitting on a dictionary. Professionals make things look easy because they have mastered the fundamentals of whatever they do.

            “If people knew how hard I had to work to gain my mastery, it wouldn't seem wonderful at all.”

                                                                                              --Michaelangelo

An executive called a company to check on a potential candidate. He asked the candidate's supervisor,

"How long has he worked for you?" The man replied, "Three days." The executive said. "But he told me he was with you for three years." The man replied, "That is right, but he worked three days."

5. Character

Character is the sum total of a person's values, beliefs and personality. It is reflected in our

behavior, in our actions. It needs to be preserved more than the richest jewel in the world. To be a winner takes character. George Washington said, "I hope I shall always possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most valuable of all titles, the character of an honest man." It is not the polls or public opinions but the character of the leader that determines the course of history. There is no twilight zone in integrity. The road to success has many pitfalls. It takes a lot of character and effort not to fall into them. It also takes character not to be disheartened by critics. How come most people love success but hate successful people? Whenever a person rises above average, there will always be someone trying to rip him apart. Chances are pretty good when you see a person on top of a hill, that he just didn't get there, but had to endure a tough climb. It's no different in life.

In any profession, a successful person will be envied by those who are not. Don't let criticism distract you from reaching your goal. Average people play it safe to avoid criticism, which can be easily avoided by saying, doing or being nothing. The more you accomplish, the more you risk being criticized.

It seems there is a relationship between success and criticism. The greater the success, the more is the

criticism. Critics have always been sitting at the sidelines. They are underachievers who shout at doers, telling them how to do it right. But remember critics are not the leaders or doers and it is worthwhile asking them to come down to where the action is.

                 “The critic is one who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.”

6. Positive Believing:

What is the difference between positive thinking and positive believing? 

What if you couldNactually listen to your thoughts? 

Are they positive or negative? 

How are you programming your mind, for success or failure? 

How you think has a profound effect on your performance?

Having a positive attitude and being motivated is a choice we make every morning. Living a positive life is not easy; but then neither is negative living. Given a choice, I would go for positive living. Positive thinking is better than negative thinking and it will help us use our abilities to the fullest. Positive believing is a lot more than positive thinking. It is having a reason to believe that positive thinking will work. Positive believing is an attitude of confidence that comes with preparation. Having a positive attitude without making the effort is nothing more than having a wishful dream. The following illustrates positive believing.

7. Give More Than You Get

It is easy to succeed today. We have no competition. If you want to get ahead in life, go the extra mile.

There is no competition on the extra mile. Are you willing to do a little more than you get paid for? How many people you know are willing to do a little bit more than what they get paid for? Hardly any. Most people don't want to do what they get paid for and there is a second category of people who only want to do what they can get by with. They fulfil their quota just to keep their jobs. There is a small fraction who are willing to do a little bit more than what they get paid for.

Why do they do more? If you fall into the last category, then where is your competition?

The advantages of doing more than you get paid for are:

 You make yourself more valuable, regardless of what you do and where you work.

 It gives you more confidence.

 People start looking at you as a leader.

 Others start trusting you.

 Superiors start respecting you.

 It breeds loyalty from both your subordinates and your superiors.

 It generates cooperation.

8. The Power of Persistence

Nothing will take the place of persistence.

Talent will not: Nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent.

Genius will not: Unrewarded genius is a proverb.

Education will not: The world is full of educated derelicts.

Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. 

                              --Calvin Coolidge

The journey to being your best is not easy. It is full of setbacks. Winners have the ability to overcome and bounce back with even greater resolve.

Fritz Kreisler, the great violinist, was once asked, "How do you play so well? Are you lucky?" He

replied, "It is practice. If I don't practice for a month, the audience can tell the difference. If I don't practice for a week, my wife can tell the difference. If I don't practice for a day, I can tell the difference."

Persistence means commitment and determination. There is pleasure in endurance. Commitment

and persistence is a decision. Athletes put in years of practice for a few seconds or minutes of

performance.

Persistence is a decision. It is a commitment to finish what you start. When we are exhausted,

quitting looks good. But winners endure. Ask a winning athlete. He endures pain and finishes what he

started.

HURDLES IN ACHIEVING SUCCESS:

Although there are lot of potential obstacles, the following hurdles are more common.

1. Lack of information

2. Lack of skill

3. Limiting beliefs

4. Well being

5. Other people

6. Own motivation

7. Time

8. Money

9. Fear

1. Lack of Information:

Information can have one of two effects. With too much you can be overwhelmed, and can stop

you from making a decision or taking the next steps. With too little information you are not able to put

things into perspective, or look at the bigger picture. Identifying where you have gaps in your knowledge, and including this as part of your goal will move you closer to achieving it. There are several ways to obtain new information. Research, planned reading, listening to CD’s, DVD’s on a specific topic or networking with individuals who have the knowledge to share with you.

2. Lack of Skill:

In order to move forwards you may have to pick up skills along the way. This need not be an enormous challenge. As part of your goal setting, understanding what skills you need to acquire, and how you will acquire them will form steps of your plan. This does not necessarily mean that you need to enroll on a course, although that is a great idea. Other alternatives such as on-line study, planned reading, shadowing a colleague in the workplace, or seeking advice from a friend can also help you obtain the

skills you need.

3. Limiting beliefs:

We all have a set of beliefs by which we live our lives. These are set in our subconscious at an early age. Sometimes these beliefs can hold you back and limit your ability to achieve you goals. Some common examples may be familiar to you. Indecision or Procrastination- should I do one thing or another? This often results in you doing nothing. The limiting belief manifests itself as “I am not able to

make decisions”.

Unable to make progress or stuck – when a way of working is no longer effective, you continue to use it and often forms a comfort zone, the limiting belief here could be “ I can’t/ won’t change”. Often people will state that “I don’t deserve to be successful”, or “that shouldn’t work for me”. Here we are seeing self sabotage and not valuing themselves and their own ability.

4. Well being:

Despite your best efforts, there may be times when you are simply not able to pursue your goals. A sudden illness or injury can put set you back. When this happens you need to be realistic. Beating yourself up will not help, nor simply giving up. Take a little time to re assess your goal and consider what your options are now. How important is it that this goal is achieved within the original timeframe. Also consider how else you goal can be pursued, and who can help you during these times.

5. Other People:

Quite often the people that are closest to us fear us achieving our goals. For them this means that you may change and that will also mean change for them. They may not be aware how important your goals are to you. If the people you share your time with for example family, friends, colleagues to not understand and support your goals, there is a chance that you may be influenced by this. If these people are adverse to change then they may well sabotage you plans.

6. Own Motivation:

Although you may see out with the best intentions, after a while the novelty may wear off or there are other distractions. This may be down to a number of factors. Perhaps the goals that you set were too large, and needed to be broken down into smaller manageable chunks.

Perhaps you are not getting the results, and need to consider what you doing that is are preventing you from moving forward. After continued effort you may feel that the goal is now actually something that do don’t want, or at least the outcome.

In this case the goal needs to be reassessed. If it requires modification because circumstances have changed, then change it. If it no longer serves you, then don’t waste your energy following up on something just because you started it.

7. Time:

We all live in a world where we don’t seem to have enough time. Many of us are “time poor”, which means that we do not manage our use of time to get the best results. Quite often I hear from the people around me “I just don’t have time to do x”. How true is this statement really? Have we taken on too much, overcommitted ourselves and are embarrassed to say no? Perhaps, but I have another view.

If we approach our use of time without any structure we may just leap from one thing to another in no particular order. Without priority we will move from one thing to the next urgent thing. There is also the aspect of distractions. This can be distraction from others who do not have the same aspirations as you. There is the distraction of telephone calls and emails. Quite often we busy ourselves with those things that are nice to do, but do not take us any further forward to achieving our goals.

8. Money:

Money is a common reason for not pursuing your goal. Usually it is the lack of money that stops you. When you hear someone say “I can’t afford it” or “I just don’t have the money”. These statements are

usually offered up without much hesitation.

While I agree that it may well be true to some extent, what alternatives have they really explored and how else could the money be found? If you are really serious about achieving this goal, what lengths

would you go to in order to find the money (legally)!

Let’s turn this around and look at it from another perspective. What is it costing you to not have that goal in your life right now? For example being in that bad relationship or enduring bad health. If in achieving this goal it was going to get you that next job, or mean that you would get that 10% performance bonus at work, what efforts would you go to?

9. Fear:

What do I mean by fear? There are the more straightforward examples. If you need to do something that takes you right outside of your comfort zone for the first time, which may well install fear into you.

Then there is the fear of failure. What will those around you think if you don’t achieve you goal. How will you face them and maintain your integrity. Better to quit now that to see it through right? That way no-one will be able to judge me.

Another type of fear is the fear of success. What if I actually do it, and people find out I am a fraud? Is this goal something that I really want anyway? Self doubt comes into play and you try to talk yourself out of it.

Activity:

What is Success ? How goal setting is important to achieve success in your life?