What is success?

What is success?

The first answers that come to mind are money and financial independence, power, recognition, and a feeling of pride in our accomplishments. These are the desires that drive us to material success and often dominate our life. And they are also society’s measurement of success, which is why many people enjoy being in the public eye.

But success is more than that. There are as many definitions of success as there are people on this planet. We all have our passion. If you are an athlete, your goal is to perform better than your competition. If you are a musician, your ambition may be to record a number-one hit. And if your passion is business, your goal may be to reach the very top of your industry.

All these are worthy accomplishments and goals, but there is more.
There are two sides to success and they are inextricably linked: the material side and the personal side. The key word is balance. Real success is possible only when these two sides are in balance. The way we conduct our business, how we interact with others, how we use our time, how we deal with negativity, and how we think of ourselves – all these have a dramatic effect on our success.

Think of the Golden Rule, a basic human principle that says: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” I don’t want to sound preachy, but in my opinion, living by this principle is the down-to-earth secret of real success.