First of all, being successful means different things to different people and in different scenarios. Making a fortune is not the only definition. Success may be simply doing one’s best and making the most of one’s own abilities, whatever they may be.
Success may be defined as maximizing your own life. For yourself perhaps, but perhaps also for those around you and the effect you have on their lives. Success may also cover a range of settings including succeeding in one’s work, with one’s family, in society, when young, in adolescence, and as a mature adult.
We only have one life, of course. We should therefore look upon success in life holistically. In other words, in a total sense, of which work and career naturally form important parts, after all, we all have to earn a living.
Next, life success tends to comes about as a result of intention. It doesn’t just occur accidentally (although chance can often play a role here). What I mean here, is that success in life, however you define it, is something usually intended, or aimed for.
I found 85% of the 100 successful world famous people I studied, rated ambition or striving for success, as important characteristics when they were young. For them, life success was more about intention. For them, life success was not just going to happen by chance.
Third up, success in life has been a comparable theme for quite a few generations. So whether it’s once parents or grandparents, their thoughts about success are very comparable to those of their young. This means that parental and family influence are important aspects relating to a young person’s development and life success.
Indeed, 65% of the successful people I studied, benefited from positive family influence when they were young people. This was in the form of their parents acting as role models. It was also through their specific advice.
Now comes the crunch time. Try to define life success for yourself. Obviously, your definition will cover how you make a living. But also, it will need to relate to your whole life, not just the work part of it.
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