Creating Success from the Inside Out: Develop The Focus and Strategy To Uncover the Life You Want

What Makes Someone a Success?

First, let's talk about what you see as success and what I see as success. I find this is easier by first looking at the things I DON'T consider success, despite Conventional Wisdom (which as we'll see is almost always wrong anyway). To me it isn't wearing certain clothes, reading the right books, or going to a certain school that lifts a man or woman up in the world, it's his or her way of thinking. Many young people lose sight of this. They think that if they just had a cool car and a great house, everything would work out great and they'd have the kind of respect they deserve. Maybe if they had a brand new pair of $200 sneakers or a lot of gold and platinum bling to show off, they'd be on top of the world.

So they set off pursuing these things—begging, borrowing, stealing, whatever—and no matter how many things they're able to collect, sooner or later they discover that things are not the answer. They are empty goals. Even when you get them, if you get them, you really have nothing. And often, after all their efforts getting, many people lose it all anyway. For some, that's what it takes to understand that it's not stuff that makes us somebody. It's the giving we do more than the getting. And some people never get it.

To me, your way of thinking is what ultimately makes you successful in life. That eight inches between your ears is all the ammunition, motivation, and creativity you need to make it. It controls whether you are a giver, or a taker; ...