Today we’ll discuss two definitions of success. We thought that this was the best place to start our first blog here at Bigg Success. How do you define success?
We’re sure you’re familiar with the first definition of success – it’s the classic.
Success is accomplishing something you set out to do.
Can you see the power in this simple definition? It focuses on a tangible result. You can see it. You can announce it to the world, and everyone knows whether or not you did it. That’s the strength of this definition.
However, it does have a weakness. We may accomplish a lot in the short-term, but the overriding question is:
Are these accomplishments taking us in the right direction?
We may be the victims of speed without direction! We’re moving fast, but not in the direction we really intend to go. Now, that’s a serious problem. Picture it – the faster we go, the harder we work, the further we get from our desired destination. Ouch!
We end up frustrated, burned out, tired, stressed, unhappy, and unfulfilled. That’s why we like the second definition of success. You may not be familiar with this one. In his book, They Call Me Coach,
“Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result
of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best
to become the best that you are capable of becoming.”
So Wooden’s definition focuses on the long-term you
that you want to be. Yeah, we wrote that right!
You want peace of mind, right? Freedom from panic, from fear, from anxiety, from worry, from stress? You want harmony, contentment, happiness, fulfillment. Ah, such lovely words. We all want these feelings, don’t we?
We think this definition is the best we’ve seen. It begins with the end in mind
, as Steven Covey said in his great book, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.
Great post! John Wooden and Stephen Covey are two of my favorite authors/leaders. My favorite quote is by Covey from Seven Habits – “seek first to understand, then to be understood.”
[...] our very first show, we discussed John Wooden’s definition of success. He said, “Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing [...]