Strive

9Verify and Magnify Your Success

Trust, but verify.

—Ronald Reagan, 40th president of the United States

Periodically Check to See If You Are Meeting Goals and Stretching Yourself to Achieve Success

What is real success? Is it having a lot of money or being famous? If that was the case, then people who were born to wealthy parents would be natural successes. That would also mean that teachers, caregivers, police officers, and many other people would never be considered successes. Money and fame can be the by‐products of achieving your goals, but they are not the measuring rods of success. I would like to emphasize this point. It is an unfortunate fact that many young people believe that money and fame are the most important things in the world. Many of the individuals profiled in this book are extremely wealthy and famous, but not because I believe that only wealth and fame make you a success. These people obtained wealth and fame by achieving their goals. I believe that your own personal success is achieved when you attain your goals and personal growth. The media does not often write in great detail about a teacher who helps disadvantaged students overcome their challenges or a police officer who counsels high school students to stay in school. These stories are out there, but they tend to be included in articles with only some insight on a particular aspect of the person's success; their entire life is not laid before you like that of the leader of a nation or a pop star. ...