Chapter 3
What Is Success?
I know I've already used the term success several times, but let's clarify what it actually is. It probably means something different to you than it does to me. The definition really depends on where a person is in life or what has his or her attention. Success in early childhood might mean receiving an allowance for the first time or getting to stay up past one's bedtime. But that would no longer be of interest just a few years later, when success in the teen years might mean getting one's own bedroom, cell phone, or a later curfew. Success in your early 20s might mean furnishing your first apartment and getting your first promotion. Later on, it might be marriage, kids, more promotions, travel, more money. As you age and conditions change, the ways in which you define success will transform yet again. When you're much older, you're likely to find success in good health, family, grandchildren, your legacy, and how you will be remembered. Where you are in life, the conditions you're facing, and the situations, events, and people on which your attention is most focused will influence your definition of success. Success can be found in any number of realms—financial, spiritual, physical, mental, emotional, philanthropic, communal, or familial. However, wherever you find it, the most crucial things to know about success—in order to have it and keep it— are the following:
1. Success is important.
2. Success is your duty.
3. There is no shortage of success. ...
