Sign of Success?
So, why aren’t you a huge success?
What’s taking so damn long for your “ship” to come in? You’re certainly gifted, hardworking, devoted, smart, and all that. You’re much smarter, and better at what you do than most of the lucky SOBs with a sh _ _pot full of money for displaying half-as _ _ed talent. So, what’s the deal? “Whassup?” Well, perhaps the question does not apply to you. I pose it to stir conversation. Right!
If you have not asked yourself these and other questions then congratulations. And even if you have asked them, there are likely others who have also asked them about you, either to your face or behind your back.
I believe discouragement and despair are first cousins, if not siblings, to sincere effort. Success is often failure outlasted. Wherever one looks, success is often defined for us. However, more importantly, how do you define success for yourself? What is your unspoken but honestly felt definition, independent of what others say or think? Here’s a scenario:
A man or woman earns or wins $1,000,000.00 on Monday. This person is hailed by friend and foe as a newly-minted millionaire. Then calamity strikes: by Tuesday, this new millionaire is depressed and dealing with a harsh reality. No, family and friends did not persuade our millionaire to part with their new fortune. One visit and one purchase, at the ’99 Cents’ store, rob them of their millionaire status. No recognition is heaped upon “thousandaires.” Nonsense, you say. Fair enough. However, for some this would matter a great deal.
How is your bank balance? If you are an author, how many thousands of books have you sold? How many floors, bathroom suites, and bedrooms are in your home? When you finished and published your first book, did you feel accomplished…successful? Do you still? Have you given up because Oprah did not call, or because, Random House has not signed you? Whatever your goals, do you pursue them daily, even if some days require greater effort?
If you are a businessperson, are you concerned because your new Maybach or Bentley is taking forever to arrive, and you are embarrassed to be stuck in that ol’ Mercedes S600 made way back last year? You have my condolences.
How’s your health? Do you have friends, spouse, family members, siblings who love you unconditionally? Are you able to eat on demand; sleep under the stars, by choice; wear shoes without feeling naked concrete on your feet; wake up mornings and get from bed without the help of an earthquake? Congratulations, even if all your answers were not a resounding, “Yes!”
While I consider myself successful, others who mostly have their palms up, not a helpful hand held out, perhaps wish more for me. Yet, I am thankful for them, as I am for those who recognize my achievements, even when I am sometimes embarrassed (slightly) by their laudatory voices.
So, are you successful? And is there some magical date which, upon arrival signals that all your struggling for success should necessarily be finished? If so, all that was required is that you watch the calendar and wait. Who knew?
I end where I began: “So, why aren’t you a huge success, or are you, and by whose definition?” What say you?
Gene Cartwright
CEO,
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