by Tom Koecke

Created on: August 24, 2007

The true meaning of success may seem complex. However, the concept of success is really quite simple: success is the progressive realization of worthy dreams, goals, and objectives. One never truly arrives at a destination called success, but rather is either successful or not successful at achieving goals and reaching objectives.

In other words, success is not the destination, but are the steps we take on the path to our destination. In order to succeed, we must successfully navigate the path to our dreams, goals, and objectives. Once we see it as 'the steps,' we are able to calculate the 'next successful step' toward our destinations. We are able to measure the 'success of a day' by determining if we are further down our paths at bedtime than we were at sunrise.

Though we risk failure when taking steps to succeed, failure is merely the binary option to success, as no is to yes, or off is to on. Thomas Edison chose to view failure as successfully knowing one way something would not work. He would then try something else. By viewing failures as successful experiences, Edison was able to get closer to his objective through the positive learning experiences of his failures along the path.

Failure is not the enemy of success. It is the opposite, which means it can be properly factored for successful conclusions. The real enemies of success are complacency, dormancy, and over zealousness.

Complacency is not caring. If we do not care to successfully arrive at our destinations, then our dreams, goals, and objectives will always be only dreams, goals, and objectives.

Dormancy is not taking action. If we care to successfully arrive at our destinations, but we do nothing about it, then our dreams, goals, and objectives will, again, remain only dreams, goals, and objectives.

Over zealousness is trying too hard. If we care to successfully arrive at our destinations, and we are willing to do something about it, but we try to hard, we tend to regard our dreams, goals, and objectives as out of our grasp.

Whether the dream is to have millions of dollars, travel to particular destinations, or clean the house, caring, doing something about it, and keeping steps manageable are the elements necessary to traverse the path from where we are to where we want to be successfully!

Learn more about this author, Tom Koecke.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.