Word-Of-the-Week #2019: Successful
February 19, 2026 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on Word-Of-the-Week #2019: Successful
Successful – having achieved wealth or desired visions and planned goals.
Do you consider yourself to be a successful person? Do you follow through on what you set out to do?
This week features the first part of “If You’ve Already Accomplished These 11 Things, You’re More Successful Than An Average Person” by Alexandra Blogier at YourTango.com
Everyone defines success differently. Some people measure success by career achievements, money, or material comfort, while others base it on strong relationships, emotional health, and how fulfilled they feel on a day-to-day basis. Success is personal, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to recognize. In fact, there are certain life accomplishments and internal shifts that quietly separate truly successful people from everyone else.
In psychological terms, success is often described as the achievement of intention, meaning you followed through on what you set out to do. Real success has less to do with comparison and more to do with growth, self-awareness, and fulfillment. When you stop measuring yourself against others and focus on what actually matters to you, success becomes easier to recognize. If you’ve accomplished the following things, you’re already more successful than the average person — even if it doesn’t always feel that way.
1. You show up as your authentic self
If you’ve channeled your authenticity and let your fullest self shine through, you’re more successful than an average person. Showing up for yourself in an authentic way requires dedicated self-reflection.
You’ve spent time thinking about what makes you feel most like yourself and put those parts of yourself out into the world. Research shows people who express themselves in ways that match their true selves report higher life satisfaction, which means being real is linked to feeling better about life overall.
Cultivating your authenticity isn’t easy, but doing so can bring you success and self-confidence in huge measures. Consultant and well-being expert Tchiki Davis explains why authenticity can be hard to access.
“We’re just trying to fit in, be liked, and be accepted by other human beings,” she points out. “Being yourself can feel risky, and it is. But if you have to hide who you really are, you can end up feeling lost, lonely, or even worthless, because you are basically telling yourself that who you really are isn’t okay.”
“Rather than letting fear drive our self-expression, we need to learn how to accept ourselves so we can truly be who we are,” she reveals.
Davis shares that being authentic means accepting yourself as you are and talking back to your inner critic. It means being vulnerable and celebrating your strengths. Ultimately, channeling your authentic self means owning every part of yourself and announcing to the world that you are exactly enough, just as you are.
2. You commit to lifelong learning
If you’re continually learning, you’re more successful than an average person. Some people believe success means reaching a tangible endpoint. They equate success with mastery and believe once they’re successful, they’ll have nothing left to learn. Yet true success is, in fact, the opposite of knowing everything. True success means admitting you don’t know everything and you’re ready to keep learning.
Research shows that people who embrace lifelong learning tend to be more adaptable and experience greater career progress and personal growth over time, because they’re better equipped to respond to change and advance in their field.
Just as curiosity is a marker of high intelligence, it’s also a sign of success. People who are successful in their professional roles get there by taking on challenges and being adaptable, both of which require a commitment to learning new things. Being open to change is a requirement of being successful, and that kind of mental flexibility can be acquired by teaching yourself new skills and letting others teach you, too.
This week’s focus is on being more successful. Do you accept yourself just as you are? Are you committed to keep learning new things because you don’t know everything? Do you measure success by career achievements or by how fulfilled you feel on a day-to-day basis?
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Word-Of-the-Week #788: Successful
September 12, 2019 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on Word-Of-the-Week #788: Successful
Successful – having achieved wealth or desired visions and planned goals.
Do you consider yourself to be a successful person? Do you know anyone that you consider successful? Is it because they have great wealth? What great achievements have you made?
Would you agree that Warren Buffet is successful? He certainly has made lots of money and to be one of his investors requires loads of money. He is the Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. Class A shares of their stock sold for $99,200 as of December 31, 2009, making them the highest-priced shares on the New York Stock Exchange, in part because they have never had a stock split and never paid a dividend.
This week’s word comes from long time friend and subscriber Sandra who responded to the WOW on Achievement by asking, “More importantly lately the question is, what is success?” This comes from my archives over eight years ago and is still relative today.
Success As An Iceberg by Chad Dorman
Last week Buffett hosted an exclusive two-hour retreat for 160 students from eight universities. Can you imagine how exciting it would be to be one of the selected students? What questions would you want to ask Warren? Do you think all he would talk about is the economy, finances, and business?
A SD Tribune article by Pat Flynn, quoted what Buffett thought were three of the biggest ways to be successful. First he said, “Recognize the good qualities you see in other people and adopt them for yourself.” Second, “He emphasized that doing what you like is the most important thing.” And third he said, “If you want to be successful, be the type of person other people want to work with.”
I was so impressed by what he told the students! I have always believed that money in and of itself does not make one successful. I also think we don’t give ourselves enough credit for the achievements we have made. Would you agree?
FUN-fact – Today Berkshire Hathaway Class A shares are selling for $315,000 a share!
This week focus on Warren’s three keys to success. What good qualities do you see in others that you could adopt? Are you doing what you like? How easy is it for to attract and keep quality people in your business and personal life?
I LOVE feedback! Join my Facebook community on my FUN-damentals Fan Page.
WOW Word-Of-the-Week #327: Successful
November 15, 2010 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on WOW Word-Of-the-Week #327: Successful
Successful – having achieved wealth or eminence.
Do you consider yourself to be a successful person? Do you know anyone that you consider successful? Is it because they have great wealth? What great achievements have you made?
Would you agree that Warren Buffet is successful? He certainly has made lots of money and to be one of his investors requires loads of money. He is the Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. Class A shares of their stock sold for $99,200 as of December 31, 2009, making them the highest-priced shares on the New York Stock Exchange, in part because they have never had a stock split and never paid a dividend.
Warren Buffett
Last week Buffett hosted an exclusive two-hour retreat for 160 students from eight universities. Can you imagine how exciting it would be to be one of the selected students? What questions would you want to ask Warren? Do you think all he would talk about is the economy, finances, and business?
A SD Tribune article by Pat Flynn, quoted what Buffett thought were three of the biggest ways to be successful. First he said, “Recognize the good qualities you see in other people and adopt them for yourself.” Second, “He emphasized that doing what you like is the most important thing.” And third he said, “If you want to be successful, be the type of person other people want to work with.”
I was so impressed by what he told the students! I have always believed that money in and of itself does not make one successful. I also think we don’t give ourselves enough credit for the achievements we have made. Would you agree?
This week focus on Warren’s three keys to success. What good qualities do you see in others that you could adopt? Are you doing what you like? How easy is it for to attract and keep quality people in your business and your life?
Reader Responses
“This is a good one. I’m going to adopt some of your good qualities, like jumping up and down in enthusiasm more.” – Elaine
“Great job and great message today. I saw one of your seminars years ago in Orlando at the PGA show and have always enjoyed getting your Fun–damentals emails ever since. Please keep up the great work!” – Brian
“Like millions of people I have so admired Warren Buffet; he is filthy-rich; he earned his the old-fashion way; he is down to earth and like you, one helluva teacher. Good show!” – PC
“I am really surprised that you listed wealth as the first parameter and then only two are listed. There are so many successful people out there and wealth for sure is not why they are considered successful. Just my thoughts for what its worth. Wow for sure!” – VHK
“Warren Buffet is successful because he recognizes those good, positive qualities in other people he has selected for his firm. What is impressive about truly successful people is that most don’t take themselves too seriously. And they are good listeners. In my dealings with the very wealthy, I have noticed that many like to keep a low profile and not draw attention to themselves. This is reflected in their philanthropy. When successful, wealthy people give away their money, they do it quietly with little fanfare. Now, there are a lot of wealthy people who are not very nice to others and are greedy. They want to keep as much as they can, without having to either pay taxes or spend it. I have been told a few times in my life that I am a successful person. Many of us probably don’t think we are as successful as other people think we are. Because we are living inside the picture frame, it is usually others who see the truly successful person. I have been blessed with good health in my life, which has allowed me to do and experience many things. Education-wise I have bachelor’s and master’s degrees from two fine institutions, Marquette University and Northwestern University, respectively. Every position that I worked so far in my professional career, I left it in a better position than where I found it. I have written two books, I am married to a beautiful woman with two beautiful daughters. And on top of all of that, I am a happy man. To me, that is success in life. Is simply being happy. Have a great weekend, Susan.” – “Warrior” Joe