by Gregory Mayo

Created on: September 04, 2009   Last Updated: September 05, 2009

Success is hard to define if we are too eager to narrow the scope of the word to a simple idea. I won't be as pedantic as some would be in defining the abstract concept of Success. I rather prefer Earl Nightingale's definition. He said, 'Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal or ideal." Two things stand out here. The first is that success has to do with some sort of progressive realization. The second is the goal has to be worthy.

The idea of "progressive realization" suggests a process. The idea that success is not a destination but a series of bench marks along the way. It also suggests that one must have a goal to start with. It seems that a person cannot stumble into success. If a person wins the lottery or receives a million from a deceased aunt they are not successful. Money alone has nothing to do with success. In the two aforementioned examples, there was no goal, no action and no measurable work toward a goal.

To further illustrate let's look at the second part of the idea of goal. "Worthy goal" is the phrasing Mr. Nightingale uses. By this definition a person that has made millions as a criminal is not a successful criminal. The goal is not worthy. Robbing, killing, cheating; these are not worthy goals and the means doesn't justify the ends if we are truly seeking a definition of success. No, the goal must be worthy.

So what is a worthy goal? To fully understand this we have to understand the way in which we were designed to interact with each other and the world around us. There is a concept of the Golden Rule. This has been expressed many different ways. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you", or "what you put out there you get back." The idea is the same; how we treat others determines the worthiness of our goals and actions.

If one's goal is to make a lot of money the question of purpose must be asked in order to determine the relative success of such a quest. If the only idea is to provide personal comfort, then it is not success when great wealth is achieved. This is not to say that being rich is a bad thing. It's what the person or persons do with the achieved wealth that matters.

A good example is a couple here in Indiana that has spent the last three years building a business. Their's is a business that provides a product that benefits the health of everyone that uses it. So, this couple built their business by helping other people. At present they earn over a million dollars a year. And, at present, they give away more of it each year than most people make.

This is success personified. The worthy goal was helping others feel better and showing them how to become financially independent. The end result was the realization of that and the ability to give more away than they ever thought possible. They are two people happy and at peace. Yes they are rich but their net worth has little to do with their success. In fact, one could argue that their success was the primary cause for their wealth.

Success, then, is a process that is ever-changing. It's an idea and, at the end of the day, a system of living and believing. The one thing success is not is a destination. True too is that in and of itself success cannot be a goal or a means. It has to do with pursuit and a worthy goal.

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