Search the Nework website    site map

NEW way of celebrating success (achievement)

The road to success is not straight.

There is a curve called failure,
a loop called confusion,
speed bumps called friends,
caution lights called family,
and you will have puncture flats called jobs.

But if you have a spare called determination,
an engine called perseverance and
insurance called faith,

you will make it to a place called success.
                 From "The Road to Success"

 

What is Success?

What is success? A Japanese proverb describes success as "Fall down 7 times, stand up 8 times". Margaret Thatcher is quoted as saying "I think it is a mixture of having a flair for the thing that you are doing; knowing that it is not enough, that you have got to have hard work and a certain sense of purpose".

Success is not easy to define. It means different things to different people. In addition, it may mean something different at different times in a person's life. However, although views of success may differ, there appear to be a number of things that most people include when they think of success. These include good friends, positive family relations, being loved, self-approval, job satisfaction, physical and mental health, financial comfort, spiritual contentment, and an overall sense of meaning in one's life. Of course, different individuals may place lesser or greater emphasis on these various components of success.

A counsellor might describe success as any one or a combination of the following:

Success is :

  • not undermining your worth by comparing yourself with others.
  • setting your own goals and not by what others deem important.
  • not giving up when you still have something to give.
  • realising that nothing is really over until you stop trying.
  • not being afraid to admit that you are less than perfect.
  • not being afraid to take risks in hopes that you may learn to be brave.
  • finding love by giving love.
  • having dreams, for to be without dreams is to be without hope.
  • going through life slowly so you not only know where you have been, but so you know where you are going.
  • knowing your potential to be whatever you want to be.
  • not only reaching your goal, but taking one step toward that goal each day.
  • seeing your potential, your hopes, and your dreams.
  • accepting things how they are and not how they should be.
  • taking chances even though you fear failing.
  • hanging in there when the going gets rough.
  • making the most of your strengths while respecting your weaknesses.
  • flexibility; realising that there is more than one way, and willing to try others.
  • falling and not staying down.
  • proud but not arrogant.

Thus is the complexity of defining success and to this point we have not mentioned the mighty dollar. So here is another way of looking at success. The word success itself has got three S's, which can be written as $$$. The two C's as Cents Cents while U for You, and the E is for Efforts. So, the word success can be rewritten as:

$ + yoUr + Cents + Cents + Efforts = $ + $ .

Coincidence, if so, we can now simply deduce from this coincidence that "success is the worthy outcome of our efforts" i.e. the positive result of our efforts - the results that bring us satisfaction, happiness, and tranquillity. Or, in other words as "Success means achieving those things we set out to achieve."

Going through failures after failures doesn't mean that you are a failure. So long as you take failures positively, you are in actuality failing your way to success! There are no failures, only outcomes. It took Thomas Edison 10,000 attempts before he invented the electric light bulb. Along the way, he was asked about his many failures. He declined to count any of his first 9,999 attempts as failures. "I didn't fail; I just discovered another way not to invent the electric light".

Life is full of challenges. Nobody is excluded from this. But, challenges make us stronger if we take them positively. All successful people go through hurdle after hurdle before they achieve greatness! The difference between failures and successful people is persistence. Thomas Edison "failed" thousands of times but he never for a second considered himself a failure he just persisted with his vision, his dream.

Who Are Successful People?

The Ones Who Are:

  • Focussed
  • Passionate
  • Dedicated
  • Persistent
  • Do-ers
  • Learners

Your definition of success may be to afford a weekend away, pay for your Christmas presents in cash, or just have fun doing something new and challenging. Every person has to define "success" for themselves. The important thing is to GET STARTED!

The NEWORKer or Portfolio worker is among those successful people who continuously work diligently and so determined to get whatever they need, want or aspire to be, despite the obstacles, hurdles, challenges, and failures in the process. And because of that determination, the NEWORKer/Portfolio worker gets whatever they want most of the time.

Successful people "own" whatever jobs they do. They love what they do. If what they love doing is being threatened, they will go all out to defend and protect it. This is the most important characteristic of successful people. If they are losing, they will quickly find new ways of winning it - taking control of their positions.

Successful people are strongly driven by their visions.

  • Their visions constantly motivate them to keep going and achieving.
  • They are always positive and dynamic.
  • They create their own future.
  • They determine what kind of life they want to be and have.
  • They are in-charge of their lives.
  • They make things happen.
  • They are leaders to themselves.
  • They know what they want.
  • And, they know how to find ways to get what they want.

In short, successful people are Highly PROACTIVE. They are the creators of their own circumstances. They never quit! They are warriors! They don't understand failure! They only think of success and victory - for themselves and others too!

The NEWORKer/Portfolio worker

  • is determined,
  • owns their lifestyle
  • is driven by their vision
  • to make things happen for themselves, their families, their community and their clients.

Celebrating Success

The NEWORKer celebrates success knowing that the contribution that they have made to a business is worthwhile, sits in with the goals and lifestyle they have chosen, and above all that the outcome has been achieved.

Just as the student receiving the degree celebrates the completion of the task, so the NEWORKer also celebrates with family, friends and colleagues the milestones as they occur, making good things happen, completing that task on time and within budget, celebrating and ready to move on to the next challenge.

What is Success

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 that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived;
That is to have succeeded.

by Ralph Waldo Emerson

 
 
   
© 2003 The Nework Centre   |   email neworknz@yahoo.co.nz
Top of the page