Word-Of-the-Week #723: Success
June 14, 2018 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on Word-Of-the-Week #723: Success
Success –achieving something desired, planned or attempted.
How often have you felt you achieved success in your life? Do you give yourself credit for attempting something even if it doesn’t turn out the way you expected? Are you clear on what you want out of life?
This week Scott Mautz shares, “Now That I’m 50, Here’s What I’ve Learned About Achieving Success That Escaped Me at 25. Hitting the big fifty requires reflection almost as a duty. So I focused mine on what I’ve learned about success since being half my current age.”
“I like writing about timeless lessons for success or key behaviors that lead to success. I’ve even written about famous failures that will inspire you to success. But nothing has spurned a more introspective look at achieving success than my turning a half-century old. (Ugh, it hurts to even write those words). I now realize how much I’ve learned compared to when I was half my age.
So, this column is addressed to the 25-year-old me to whom I say, “Hey! Turn off your Sony Walkman and shift your attention from the Counting Crows to this success advice!”
- You own your career.
When I joined a big company shortly after turning 25, I believed that the Great Career Planner in the sky would simply move me from job to job until my career dreams were fully realized.
I was doing too much assuming and not enough asserting.
Don’t fall into this trap. Yes, you’ll get help along the way, but you’re in the driver’s seat. Be clear on what you want and proactive in making it so. Regarding being clear on what you want, see the next point.
- Meaning starts with “me.”
You’re the only one who can ascribe meaning (or not) to what you spend your time on. Pursue the life and career that you want, not that someone else expects of you. The word “meaning” starts with “me” for a reason. This is the key to having a truly meaningful, fulfilling career–and life.
Bronnie Ware (a palliative nurse) captured the misgivings of the dying in her book The Top 5 Regrets of the Dying. Number one on the list of regrets? “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.”
- Seek authenticity, not approval.
This directly relates to number two. When we seek approval we’re seeking external validation, which is an empty victory at best and elusive and confidence eroding at worst. If approval equals success for you, know it’s a never-ending quest. Instead, let a desire to serve your authentic self drive your actions.
- Know that your definition of success will change.
25 years ago it was all about getting promoted as often and fast as possible. Now, it’s about serving something greater than myself as broadly and deeply as possible. I didn’t see that coming.”
This week’s focus is on success. Has your definition of success changed over the years? Are you focusing on your desires or someone else’s? Do you feel you have a truly meaningful, fulfilling career–and life?
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Word Of the Week #545: Success
January 14, 2015 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on Word Of the Week #545: Success
Success: the achievement of something desired, planned, or attempted.
What does success mean to you? When was the last time you achieved something you desired? What one success would you like to achieve in your lifetime?
This week’s WOW comes from the Wall Street Journal article written by Dennis Nishi titled, What Does ‘Success’ Mean, Anyway? I am going to cover his two key points in the next two WOW’s.
- Think for Yourself.
Employees dissatisfied with their careers may not be entirely to blame for the choices they’ve made. Many ideas about success are often not your own, say experts. It happens early and often subconsciously. People are influenced by the simple rewards systems learned in high school and college and by what is portrayed as success by the media and in popular culture. There are also strong parental expectations to continue the family business or enter stable, respectable professions.
As a result, people may wake up years later uncertain of why they are dissatisfied, says Richard Shell, a professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and author of “Springboard: Launching Your Personal Search for Success.” That’s one reason he recommends people take pit stops to evaluate themselves.
“Unfortunately, many Americans think of their careers as a race and feel that if they stop to change a tire in the pit, everybody will pass you by,” says Mr. Shell, who has seen many students discover midway through their M.B.A.s that they want to do something other than finance.
Mr. Shell says, “The first step is to put success into your own context. Shift your perspective toward what’s important to you, as opposed to something outside yourself. You need to overcome any limits that you’ve imposed on yourself. Once you’ve gotten over the idea of being the richest or most famous person and have a good sense of what’s truly meaningful, set some long-term goals and start moving in that direction. You may not end up going to the exact place you idealize, but you’ll at least move toward something that can be more satisfying.”
This week is all about what success means to you. Are you fulfilled in your job? Are you doing “what is expected” because someone else dictated that? Do you have a good sense of what’s truly meaningful to you? What long-term goals could you set to help you move in that direction?
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Word Of the Week #57: Success
April 22, 2009 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on Word Of the Week #57: Success
Success: the measure of obtaining a desired end.
How do you define success? I have a friend that considers herself successful. She has a job she loves, great friends, and a life that makes her happy. However, her husband doesn’t think she’s successful because she doesn’t make a lot of money.
Do you think that money is the only measure of success? I believe that it is part of the mix. Just making money and not enjoying what you do, does not sound like success to me.
I use this quote in my presentations from time to time.
“Success is going from failure to failure with enthusiasm.”
— Author Unknown
Just because you try something and it doesn’t work, doesn’t mean that it will never be a success. Positive people see failure as a set back. Negative people see failure as a no win situation.
Are there any areas in your personal or professional life where you have failed? Did you come up with another approach or did you give up? This week focus on being more receptive to trying different things. Like the old saying, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”