Monday, July 16, 2007

What is success to you?

What does success mean to you? Let's look at a dictionary definition:
Main Entry:
suc·cess
Pronunciation:
\sək-ˈses\
Function:
noun
Etymology:
Latin successus, from succedere
Date:
1537
1obsolete : outcome, result
2 a
: degree or measure of succeeding
b
: favorable or desired outcome; also : the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence
3
: one that succeeds
I pulled this definition from the Merriam-Webster online dictionary. The definition there that speaks to me is 2b. "favorable or desired outcome." As I chew and ponder on this definition, it occurs to me that as we begin this journey there are two words we must pay particular attention to: "desired" and "outcome". I will explain in a moment why I feel that those two words are very crucial to our laying the foundation for attaining personal success. First, let us return to Merriam-Webster to define these two words.

Main Entry:
1de·sire
Pronunciation:
\di-ˈzī(-ə)r, dē-\
Function:
verb
Inflected Form(s):
de·sired; de·sir·ing
Etymology:
Middle English, from Anglo-French desirer, from Latin desiderare, from de- + sider-, sidus heavenly body
Date:
13th century
transitive verb1: to long or hope for : exhibit or feel desire for <desire success>
2 a
: to express a wish for : request desire an immediate answer>
b archaic : to express a wish to : ask
3
obsolete : invite
4archaic : to feel the loss ofintransitive verb: to have or feel desire


Ignore the archaic and obsolete definitions and focus on the transitive verb - to long or hope for. What strong and beautiful words those are. When do you hear the words "I long for..." - when someone is missing a loved one, or a loved place, when a suitor is wooing a lover... "I long for home...", "I long for your kisses..." To desire something in the true definition of the word is to long for that thing deeply and with feeling.

Let us look at the second word: outcome

Main Entry:
out·come
Pronunciation:
\ˈat-ˌkəm\
Function:
noun
Date:
1788
: something that follows as a result or consequence outcome> outcomes of bypass surgery>
An outcome follows as a consequence of something... it is not an entity in and of itself, but rather must be preceded by something else.

Why have I meandered through this little adventure of looking at words? Because I believe that words are powerful, and that power, if harnessed by the strength of focused minds, through deliberate and conscious thought, can bring forth great results. But here is my purpose for this post, to ask you if you know what success means.

Success is a favorable or desired outcome. To pursue and attain success, you must have two things:
  1. You must have a desired thing that you long for, that you have deep feelings about, that you want to see happen. This is something that causes you to toss in bed at night, to sit in pensive thought, to engage in purposeful endeavors, hoping, dreaming, fearful of failure, but trying nonetheless. This must be something that you want, that you feel will make your life that much more fulfilling. You are the only one who knows what this thing is.
  2. You must have an action... something that will lead to the outcome. You cannot be in limbo, for there cannot be an outcome without an action.
Ponder on this. When you say you want success, what do you really mean? What is it that you're seeking? What is that desired and longed for outcome?

This is one of the corner stones. You must start here.



Attaining Personal Success

Welcome to Attaining Personal Success, a blog aimed at helping you, and me, the girl next door, and that guy across the street, to grow and move towards greater levels of personal success and satisfaction.

My aim in this blog is to share with you, and invite you to share with me, thoughts and ideas about how to live consciously, and deliberately, and how to move towards Marslow's highest peak - self-actualization!

Maybe you want to become a millionaire, or a president, or an opera singer... or maybe you want to be a better parent, friend, sister, lover, person... whatever your goals are, this blog is intended for you. There are no secret tips here, no hard and fast rules. I am not a guru, nor am I a master. I have not achieved self-actualization. I am an ordinary person, with dreams, and fears, failures and successes, virtues and vices... I am that person next door, that colleague in the cubicle two rows down, that nurse with the bright orange scrubs...

I am taking this journey with you. Your thoughts are valuable, share them with me.