Success to me!

This past weekend I was browsing through my RSS reader, and I came across an interesting post titled What is success? Impact. The author is basically questioning what should be considered success (on a professional level), and he comes to the conclusion that success should be measured as the positive impact his work will have upon the lives of other people. The article caught my attention because I have the exact same opinion. Obviously I dont think there is right or wrong as to how we define success. The term itself is a subjective thing, so what success means to you might be different from what it means to me or other people, and this is perfectly fine. That being said, I think it is useful to discuss about such definitions, because it helps us to analyze whether or not we are moving in the right direction. For example, most people tend to equate success with money. That is, the more money you make, the more successful you are. But under this definition one could argue that a drug dealer who makes millions of dollars annually is a very successful person. I dont agree with this. I could give you that such drug dealer is a savvy businessman, but I wouldnt call him successful, because the impact he has on the life of other people is actually a very negative one. The same thing could be said about online spammers, scammers and so on. Now take Linus Torvalds as another example. He is the founder of the Linux movement, which created one of the most successful open source projects to date, and enabled millions of people to use a free and very reliable operating system. I am not sure how rich he is, but even if he was broke I would call him a successful person, because he had a huge impact on the lives of people from around the world. Note that these things are not mutually exclusive either. In other words, it is possible to make a lot of money and have a positive impact in the lives of many people at the same time (and often times they go together). Just think about Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, Larry Page and Sergei Brin. But, I suspect that these folks were first and foremost motivated by the possibility of making something big that would impact many people. As Steve Jobs says, by the possibility of putting a dent in the universe. Sure, they were no philanthropists, so the money was welcome too, but I dont think it was the only nor the main thing they were pursuing. Which leads us to one question: are you working to make as much money as possible, or to make as big an impact as possible http://www.dailyblogtips.com/what-is-success/

Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value. ~Albert Einstein Success without honour is an unseasoned dish; it will satisfy your hunger, but it won't taste good. ~Joe Paterno If at first you don't succeed, do it like your mother told you. ~Author Unknown Eighty percent of success is showing up. ~Woody Allen As you climb the ladder of success, be sure it's leaning against the right building. ~Quoted in P.S. I Love You, compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr. If at first you don't succeed, you're running about average. ~M.H. Alderson Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. ~Winston Churchill What is success? It is a toy balloon among children armed with pins. ~Gene Fowler We never know, believe me, when we have succeeded best. ~Miguel de Unamuno, Essays and Soliloquies, 1925 Sometimes I worry about being a success in a mediocre world. ~Lily Tomlin I couldn't wait for success... so I went ahead without it. ~Jonathan Winters There is no point at which you can say, "Well, I'm successful now. I might as well take a nap." ~Carrie Fisher Don't aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally. ~David Frost Some people dream of success... while others wake up and work hard at it. ~Author Unknown

He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often and loved much; who has gained the respect of intelligent men and the love of little children; who has filled his niche and accomplished his task; who has left the world better than he found it, whether by an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul; who has never lacked appreciation of earth's beauty or failed to express it; who has always looked for the best in others and given them the best he had; whose life was an inspiration; whose memory a benediction. ~Bessie Stanley, 1905, commonly misattributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson Try to discover The road to success And you'll seek but never find, But blaze your own path And the road to success Will trail right behind.

~Robert Brault, www.robertbrault.com In order to succeed you must fail, so that you know what not to do the next time. ~Anthony J. D'Angelo, The College Blue Book I dread success. To have succeeded is to have finished one's business on earth, like the male spider, who is killed by the female the moment he has succeeded in courtship. I like a state of continual becoming, with a goal in front and not behind. ~George Bernard Shaw, 28 August 1896 Those who have succeeded at anything and don't mention luck are kidding themselves. ~Larry King Success has made failures of many men. ~Cindy Adams Some aspects of success seem rather silly as death approaches. ~Donald A. Miller Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it. ~Author Unknown That man is successful who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much, who has gained the respect of the intelligent men and the love of children; who has filled his niche and accomplished his task; who leaves the world better than he found it, whether by an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul; who never lacked appreciation of earth's beauty or failed to express it; who looked for the best in others and gave the best he had. ~Robert Louis Stevenson Success is more permanent when you achieve it without destroying your principles. ~Walter Cronkite The two hardest things to handle in life are failure and success. ~Author Unknown Pray that success will not come any faster than you are able to endure it. ~Elbert Hubbard

The moral flabbiness born of the bitch-goddess SUCCESS. That - with the squalid interpretation put on the word success - is our national disease. ~William James, 11 September 1906 The closer one gets to the top, the more one finds there is no "top." ~Nancy Barcus Something in human nature causes us to start slacking off at our moment of greatest accomplishment. As you become successful, you will need a great deal of self-discipline not to lose your sense of balance, humility, and commitment. ~Ross Perot What will matter is not your success but your significance.... ~Michael Josephson, from "What Will Matter" (poem), 2003, whatwillmatter.com Smarts and action are on the same side of the equation where the sum is success. ~Garrett Hazel Success is blocked by concentrating on it and planning for it.... Success is shy - it won't come out while you're watching. ~Tennessee Williams

Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go. ~William Feather There is only one success - to be able to spend your life in your own way. ~Christopher Morley How do you achieve success? Well, for one thing, you don't define it before you achieve it. ~Robert Brault, www.robertbrault.com The toughest thing about success is that you've got to keep on being a success. ~Irving Berlin Success is simply a matter of luck. Ask any failure. ~Earl Wilson Success will never be a big step in the future, success is a small step taken just now. ~Jonatan Mrtensson Some people succeed because they are destined to, but most people succeed because they are determined to. ~Author Unknown Flaming enthusiasm, backed up by horse sense and persistence, is the quality that most frequently makes for success. ~Dale Carnegie Always bear in mind that your own resolution to success is more important than any other one thing. ~Abraham Lincoln Success is getting what you want; happiness is wanting what you get. ~Dale Carnegie Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome. ~Booker T. Washington Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom. ~George Smith Patton It is wise to keep in mind that no success or failure is necessarily final. ~Author Unknown How can they say my life is not a success? Have I not for more than sixty years got enough to eat and escaped being eaten? ~Logan Smith Success and failure. We think of them as opposites, but they're really not. They're companions - the hero and the sidekick. ~Laurence Shames The man who has done his level best, and who is conscious that he has done his best, is a success, even though the world may write him down as a failure. ~B.C. Forbes Success is often the result of taking a misstep in the right direction. ~Al Bernstein

The road to success is wherever people need another road. ~Robert Brault, www.robertbrault.com

If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you. ~Arthur McAuliff (Thanks, Fernanda) If at first you don't succeed, failure may be your style. ~Quentin Crisp If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried. ~Author Unknown If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then give up. There's no use in being a damn fool about it. ~W.C. Fields

If at first you do succeed - try to hide your astonishment. ~Author Unknown

In one of my most popular articles, 30 Fundamentals of a Wonderful Life, I stressed the importance of forming your own definition of success. If you dont, there is a good chance you will waste a lot of time and energy chasing someone elses version of the word. To help you, I have found 10 quotes that each, in my opinion, give a key insight into what success really means. DoingWhatYouLove

Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer FollowingYour OwnPath

A successful life is one that is lived through understanding and pursuing ones own path, not chasing after the dreams of others. Chin-Ning Chu LivingEachMoment

Life is a succession of moments. To live each one is to succeed. - Corita Kent OvercomingObstacles

Success is not measured by what a man accomplishes, but by the opposition he has encountered and the courage with which he has maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds. Charles Lindbergh

TreatingPeopleWell

Never lose sight of the fact that the most important yardstick of your success will be how you treat other people your family, friends, and co-workers, and even strangers you meet along the way. Barbara Bush Excellingin MultipleAreasof Your Life

I believe that being successful means having a balance of success stories across the many areas of your life. You cant truly be considered successful in your business life if your home life is in shambles. Zig Ziglar DoingYourBest

The man who has done his level best, and who is conscious that he has done his best, is a success, even though the world may write him down as a failure. B.C. Forbes Seekingand FindingLove

The person who tries to live alone will not succeed as a human being. His heart withers if it does not answer another heart. His mind shrinks away if he hears only the echoes of his own thoughts and finds no other inspiration. - Pearl S. Buck Leavingthe Worlda BetterPlace

What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal. Albert Pike Successis ManyThings

To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded. - Bessie Stanley

In HIS Eyes
a poem I wrote thinking about God's perspective on my set of failures

*why can't you love the way you are the way I loved you as you are don't put dirt behind your back nor feel sorry for the things you lack for I myself knows what's in your heart so pick up the pieces torn apart *gather around yourself with faith in your hands never act according your own wit for it might cause your own destruction just follow my instruction, live right through happy is the man who survive the waves and softly brush through the shores *if you could only learn to love yourself life would be much easier despite the strife gently wipe the tears from your eyes for I will grant you everlasting life in a place where you can never imagine how beautiful you are in my eyes

THE MIDAS TOUCH

We all know the story of the greedy king named Midas. He had a lot of gold and the more he had the more he wanted. He stored all the gold in his vaults and used to spend time every day counting it. One day while he was counting a stranger came from nowhere and said he would grant him a wish. The king was delighted and said, "I would like everything I touch to turn to gold." The stranger asked the king, Are you sure?" The king replied, "Yes." So the stranger said, "Starting tomorrow morning with the sun rays you will get the golden touch." The king thought he must be dreaming, this couldn't be true. But the next day when he woke up, he touched the bed, his clothes, and everything turned to gold. He looked out of the window and saw his daughter playing in the garden. He decided to give her a surprise and thought she would be happy. But before he went to the garden he decided to read a book. The moment he touched it, it turned into gold and he couldn't read it. Then he sat to have breakfast and the moment he touched the fruit and the glass of water, they turned to gold. He was getting hungry and he said to himself, "I can't eat and drink gold." Just about that time his daughter came running and he hugged her and she turned into a gold statue. There were no more smiles left. The king bowed his head and started crying. The stranger who gave the wish came again and asked the king if he was happy with his golden touch. The king said he was the most miserable man. The stranger asked, "What would you rather have, your food and loving daughter or lumps of gold and her golden statue?" The king cried and asked for forgiveness. He said, "I will give up all my gold. Please give me my daughter back because without her I have lost everything worth having." The stranger said to the king, "You have become wiser than before" and he reversed the spell. He got his daughter back in his arms and the king learned a lesson that he never forget for the rest of his life.

FIGHT OR FLIGHT

Why is all of this taking place? The basic reason is to enable you to engage in one of two basic responses. Your body has prepared you for "fight" or "flight." Your body is prepared to help you fight and resist the threat if needed or to run away quick as you can if it is appropriate. Whichever course of action you choose, your body is ready to respond. Suppose that you are out on a picnic with your family and decide to go off on a hike by yourself. As you come around a bend in the trail you suddenly see a large snake that is coiled and prepared to strike. You will probably recognize this as a threat and your body will go into a stress reaction. You feel your muscles tense as your heart rate and breathing increase. You body is preparing you to act by either fighting or running away. You body is ready to act, but you have to choose what to do. If the snake is still some considerable distance away, then flight is the best choice, and you turn and run away as fast as you can. If the snake is right at your feet then fight may be the only choice as your pick up a stick and try to kill the snake. When that car pulls out in front of you, your body goes into a stress reaction, and you have to decide how to act. You might have the fleeting fantasy that if you were driving an armored vehicle, like a tank, it would feel good to keep driving and knock this fool off the road for being so stupid. However, since you probably will not be in a tank, you realize that flight is the best choice, and you quickly turn the wheel and put on the brakes to avoid an accident. Lets imagine that you successfully avoid the car accident and continue to drive down the road. What do you think that your body will be doing 15 minutes later? What should be happening? Through the fight or flight response you were able to discharge all of the physiological build-up and either escape or control the situation. Everything should be getting back to normal. Now your muscles are relaxing, heart rate and blood pressure are coming down, respiration is becoming regular and deeper, and the belly is not as tense as the blood supply returns to it. Your emotional state is changing as well as you move from anger and fear to a more calm and peaceful state. The stress reaction has served its purpose and enabled you to appropriately confront a threat and resolve the situation. This innate stress reaction is automatic and immediate and designed to help you survive in dangerous situations. It was very useful for cavemen and women as they confronted the dangerous animals that that lived along beside them in the forest. However, the stress reaction no longer serves the same purpose.

Indian Video to inspire http://great-motivational-stories.blogspot.com/ Sports store success http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTnf2cJUxLQ Stress Test online http://www.lessons4living.com/stress_test.htm