by Jimmy Nightingale

Created on: December 31, 2008   Last Updated: January 06, 2010

Success means different things to everyone.

On a general level, success is described in the Oxford dictionary as a favourable outcome. This could relate to just about any kind of activity or pursuit. In the context of this topic, it is fair to say that it is about attaining fame and fortune. Fame is therefore an element of success, yet fame can be positive (celebrity or status) or negative (infamy or notoriety - though I don't think many of us would deliberately strive for this kind of fame).

The point I would like to make by introducing 'success' this way is that it is a concept, rather than a hard and fast something, so the secret, if there is such a thing, is to work out what success means to you. Is it wealth, fame, achieving a certain specific goal (getting that manuscript published, winning a medal at the Olympics, having children) or achieving a state of mind or being.

As human beings, I do subscribe to the old Abe Maslow "Hierarchy of Needs" concept that was hammered down our throats during my university days. Rather than go all Psychology 101 on you, you can read about it here and here. There are many variations and permutations of Maslow's theory, but it boils down to the idea that our view of success changes over time. As teenagers, success might mean getting a girlfriend/boyfriend and a good passing grade in our end of year exams. Money rarely plays much of a role in our adolescent view of success.

In our 20s, we've generally achieved those things, so our concept of success changes. Money probably still doesn't play a major role, apart from having enough to get by. Success usually represents landing a particular job or promotion, moving out of home and finding somewhere decent to live, and our minds drift towards longer lasting relationships (marriage, perhaps children). When these things are achieved, our view changes again and the financial aspects come more into play. The esteem type needs also come into play - the fame-type things. Once that is achieved, we go for Maslow's piece-de resistance, self actualisation. This is all about reaching our potential, experiences, philanthropic goals.

The one big factor missing out of this discussion, something that the organisational behaviour theorists seem to overlook is that you can boil all this down to a single ideal - happiness. Happiness is the glue that binds all these goals or signs of success together.

So the secret to success is this - always pursue the path that will make you happy. Regardless of everything else, if you feel happy, then your life is a success.

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