Success Comes From Within

Mon, Jun 29, 2009, by Geuka

What does success mean? Is it one of those subjective concepts like what tastes good or what’s fashionable? Or is there some definitive measure? What comes into your mind when you hear the word “successful”? Is it that wealthy or beautiful person on the magazine cover? Is it that lady in the Mercedes or that guy in the Bentley? Is it the single mother who’s able to provide for her family? Is it you? How do you know for sure?

[Photo Credit]

That’s Tiger Woods in the picture above. He’s my favorite golfer and frankly the best this planet has ever seen (my opinion). The fact that I and most golf fans believe this to be true is really irrelevant. What is relevant is that, despite the ease with which we label him "the best", something within tells him he can be better and motivates him to achieve that.

I think of Tiger as a successful person, but not because of the obvious stuff. After all he’s the best golfer in the world, is second all time in major championship victories, third all time in total victories, holds more records than an old school jukebox and is still achieving at the highest level! On top of that, he’s dealt with serious injury and deep personal loss and keeps on truckin. Despite those “obvious” indicators, I consider him successful for another reason.

Tiger began winning golf tournaments pretty early in his professional career (as well as his amateur career) and quickly rose to be the top ranked golfer in the world. He was winning by enormous margins and was pretty unbeatable. So what did he do? He did the golfer’s equivalent of reinventing one’s self . . . he redesigned his golf swing. For the non golfer reading this, you may be thinking Big Deal?!

Imagine changing something about yourself that is fundamentally you; like the way you walk, talk or laugh. Doesn’t sound so easy now does it? This was truly a huge undertaking and one that garnered a lot of criticism from the media and many fans. After all, he was winning . . . he was the best, why would he want to change the ingredients of that recipe?

It was simple. He wanted to be better and didn’t let his inner hype man convince him to rest on his laurels. He altered his swing and after some time became more dominant than ever. The amazing thing is that he’s done this a couple of times now despite the success he’s achieved.

So the real question is what motivates Tiger? Why does he want to be better? What’s the internal mechanism he leverages for success?

The Key to Success

Before we explore that, let’s try to get clear on what success is? How does one define it? The most basic definition I can conjure is to accomplish something you planned to do. Seems pretty straight forward, ehh? But it also kinda sounds like achievement. Are success and achievement the same?

Think about it . . . a person could plan to go to work, plan to get work done there, plan to pick up a few things at the grocery store on the way home, plan to cook dinner, plan to clean the kitchen, plan to watch a movie, plan to go to sleep, plan for tomorrow to be the same and accomplish all of those things! In meeting the basic definition of success, would that person think of themselves as successful? Or would they simply think that they have accomplished the goals or tasks they outlined for the day?

Ultimately, the answer to those questions depends greatly on the person, but my gut tells me that there’s still more . . . something else that differentiates success and achievement.

What are we still missing? They both seem to be based on accomplishment, but what if there’s something about the things we accomplish that places them in one bucket or another? What if there’s something different about the accomplishments that stand out in our memories vs. the ones that have faded some? What do all of your most memorable accomplishments have in common?

When I think about my most memorable accomplishments, they’re all related to subjects that I am extremely passionate about (being a parent, meaningful relationships, golf, helping others, African drumming, entrepreneurship, etc.). Passion is what makes accomplishments in those areas and their presence in my life more important than others.

So I define success as the pursuit and accomplishment of a the thing most passionate. For me, this is a continuous process that doesn’t necessarily have an endpoint. As I grow, tap further into my passions and occasionally discover new ones, my success is a measure of how much I’m living & exploring those passions . . . how much my life is a reflection of what I’m passionate about.

Tiger Woods is passionate about golf and his love for the game drives him to successfully realize his dreams. Passion is the internal mechanism that he leverages to create the life he wants.

It’s up to you to define what success means to you. It’s perfectly ok if your definition of success aligns with society’s or is completely different and unique to you. Either way, just make sure it’s your choice and not some conditioned response you’re playing out. Be honest with yourself and go for what you know!

Inner happiness ultimately clears the path to your most successful life. Inner happiness is not the result of success, but rather a prerequisite.