Chester’s Tips for Success

Living a successfully is one of my goals in life. Though sometimes I don’t like to use the word because, for many people, it conjures up images of books with emphatic titles littered with cheap words written by authors sporting unnaturally wide smiles beaming unnaturally white teeth.

There is no three step method to success and if there is I don’t want it. The pursuit of success for me is a deeply personal journey, one that is laden with personal challenges and obstacles. My version of successful living won’t be the same as yours, but that’s a good thing.

For some, the word “success” conjures up feelings of achievement and power; people who feel this way have usually experienced some form of success in the past and enjoyed it. Perhaps you were the star of your baseball team, one of the top students in your class, a top performer in your office or other organization. People who taste success, usually want more.

Then there are those who hear the word “success” and cringe. It may leave you feeling inadequate or perhaps even vapid and empty, like someone who is perceived to live only for money. You won’t read a book titled “The Seven Steps to Success” because it rubs you the wrong way and seems cheap. Perhaps you’re right.

But before you embrace or reject the notion of success, let me share with you some conventional definitions of success, with a small ’s’, and my definition of Success, with a big ‘S’.

Defining success (with a little ’s’)

According to the dictionary.com’s definition, success is:
1. the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors.
2. the attainment of wealth, position, honors, or the like.

The second definition was surprising to me because it’s so common to hear nowadays that “success is not about being wealthy or famous.” And yet the second definition in the entry says precisely the opposite!

Despite the growing number of people who define success as more than just wealth and fame, for our culture and society as a whole, success still is and probably will always be very much about how much you make and how well known you are.

Henry David Thoreau , a famous 19th Century American transcendentalist philosopher, thinker and writer said, “success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.” The definition that Thoreau used was probably similar to dictionary.com’s first definition.

Another popular definition of success is the one that Earl Nightingale , a well known motivational speaker during his time, defines in his phenomenally popular radio piece, “The Strangest Secret.”

Earl Nightingale defines success as: the progressive realization of a worthy goal or ideal.

I like this definition because it isn’t only focused on the end goal, but on the journey as well. Often times we think of success as a goal to be obtained or an object to be won, not realizing that success is a process and a journey.

Success with a Big ‘S’

In contrast to success (with a small ’s’), I define Success (with a big ‘S’) as the progressive realization of your life’s passion. According to Earl Nightingale’s definition, success can be the progressive realization of any worth goal or ideal, but it may not necessarily be a passion.

Passion is the major difference between Success and success. People who are pursuing their passion and realizing goals related to their passion come alive with an intensity that only a few people ever experience. Individuals who find Success live on a level most people could not imagine. Their lives spin with excitement, challenge and vibrancy; they do not tire easily and can continue doing what they’re doing until the day they die. Albert Einstein was Successful and so was Thomas Edison. Passion was the cornerstone of their success.

For the Successful, life is a game and a very fun and enjoyable one at that.

While you can pick any worthy goal or ideal and be successful, to be Successful, you need to find your passion amidst the numerous goals and ideals in the world. As you may have guessed, the challenge in pursuing the path towards Success, is first identifying your true passion.

Passion is sometimes referred to as calling and I would, for the most part, say that the word is a fair substitute. Calling refers to something supernaturally imposed, something inborn and natural, which is unique for each person.

While success is great, finding Success is amazing. It is a life statement, one that has the weight of certainty and a bit of mystery to it, because there is no formula or model to follow. When you’ve found Success, it is something so unique and special to you that no one could ever hope to copy it. But that’s precisely what makes it amazing.

I won’t attempt to draw a list of people who I think are Successful simply because Success (with a big ‘S’) is unique for each individual because every one has their own particular passion. I also think that such lists don’t serve their purpose in the end because often times we will look at Successful people and simply try to mimic them in our desire to also be Successful.

Let me say it again: Success is an individual journey, one that begins with finding your true life’s passion. You cannot copy the success of others anymore than you can copy other people’s passions.

But what I will say is this, when you meet someone who has achieved Success, they will radiate energy that will enthrall you; the person may feel larger than life and “super” human. In reality, there’s nothing “super” about them, it is just the fire of passion tested and strengthened over time.

Although I haven’t met many people who fit the bill, those that I have could occupy my attention for hours.

Successful (with a big ‘S’) people have that special something that most people want, but can never seem to find–passion. Though it’s a difficult journey, I believe it is one everyone is capable of.

Related Articles

• The Secret to a Successful Career
• The Illusion of Passion
• What’s Your Long Game?
• Three Steps to Achieving Your Ideal State

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