An online dictionary defines success as "an event that accomplishes its intended purpose".

Scanning down the list of Google results though, I saw a lot of "To really be successful, you must first define what success means to you. Everyone has a very different definition of success"

I disagree with that second statement. I don't think any of us define "success" differently, rather we place different priorities on the different "intended purposes".

For example, obviously many people equate and define success with financial wealth. Others may prioritize strong relationships and families. Others may see having optimum health and fitness as their defining factor for success. Others may simply say that they gauge their success through their degree of happiness. But "happiness" can be just as circular as success itself. What makes somebody happy? That could be: money in the bank, a big house, a new car, a loving partner, terrific kids, a sub 3 hour marathon...

The working title of my book was actually V.E.A.R. Toward Your Goals. I've defined myself as a self-professed "goals junkie" and since this book was going to be about how I used Vision, Energy, Attitude and Resolve and to attain my goals, at first this appeared to be the appropriate title. But it wasn't.... Do you know why?

Because with this title VEAR would only guide me toward my goals. It doesn't imply that VEAR allowed me to attain any of those goals. And thus VEAR Toward SUCCESS was a more applicable title.

In a nutshell then, "success" is the accomplishment of a goal. If this is my definition of success, then what is the definition of "successful"?

This is a 2 part defiinition I believe. The first part involves the magnitude of the goal. Let's look at my morning so far. My first "goal" this morning was to get up when the alarm went off. (check) My second goal was to get dressed. (check) Third was to have a nutritious breakfast (check) And fourth was to submit and article to SuccessVibe (almost check...). So here it is barely 9am and I've already succeeded at 4 goals. I must be incredibly successful!

To be honest, although I believe those 4 check points play a role in the success I believe I've earned, those 4 things in and of themselves, don't really define being "successful" at all. I believe the truly "successful" individual has accomplished a goal or goals that required some initiative and determination. Actually I believe success requires some Vision, Energy, Attitude and Resolve. I believe the truly successful person has attained a goal or goals that many other people are still working toward achieving.

How many people out there want to have more money? a bigger house? a newer car? a better relationship? a loving family? better health and fitness? a better job??????

I would say that most people today are striving towards at least one of the above mentioned goals. So if you have achieved a level wherein you find yourself content in one of the above categories, then you should consider yourself a success, and thus "successful".

However, I don't believe meeting a single one of those above items makes a person successful. If you have all the money in the world, but nobody to share it with, how successful are you? Would I trade lives with that person? Certainly not. What if I had a large loving family, but I couldn't afford to put food on the table for them. Would I consider myself a success then? Again, "no".

So in my book, measuring how successful a person is, is determined by how well they have balanced and accomplished some of life's bigger goals.

In my next post, I'm going to share my theory of Vision, Energy, Attitude and Resolve and how VEAR applies to Success. So now you know what I mean when I speak of "success". I'm curious though, what does it mean to you? Is there anything you feel I have left out?

Scanning down the list of Google results though, I saw a lot of "To really be successful, you must first define what success means to you. Everyone has a very different definition of success"

I disagree with that second statement. I don't think any of us define "success" differently, rather we place different priorities on the different "intended purposes".


I disagree with your viewpoint here. I think it is down to people to determine what success means to them. I think the definition of success is broader than just being about what you focus on, it's about the level of result that you achieve too. One person might feel successful making $50,000k a year and for another they would not feel successful unless they were making $250,000k per year. One person might consider themselves successful if they can bench 100 lbs and another would feel successful at 300 lbs. What determines whether you feel successful or not may depend on where that person is starting from, their peer group and so on. For one person being the first person to graduate from college in their family would make them a huge success but for another anything less than a doctorate could mean they are viewed as anything but, even by themselves.


I think the general definition of success is too generic to be meaningful and all depends on where you are putting your focus.

My view is a bit different. You set objectives, these objectives are either in line with your principles or they are not. If you achieve your objectives you are successful, If you achieve objectives not in line with your principles then you will most likely have an unfulfilled and unhappy life, if they are aligned with your principles then you will have a fulfilling and happy life.


Either way you were successful in achieving your objectives, but you obtain different results from a quality of life standpoint.

In a nutshell then, "success" is the accomplishment of a goal. If this is my definition of success, then what is the definition of "successful"?

I believe the truly "successful" individual has accomplished a goal or goals that required some initiative and determination.

I believe the truly successful person has attained a goal or goals that many other people are still working toward achieving.



I agree to a degree, but what about someone who sets a goal, works towards it, but does not achieve it? are they not a success on some level? or at least more of a success than the people who never even tried to reach the same goal?

i.e., I've set a goal to place in the top four of a physique competition. I'm working very hard towards this goal, working out 13 times a week, following a strict nutritional plan, etc. I'm transforming my body, getting stronger, adding muscle to my small frame, improving my confidence, posture, and overall health. But what it, at the end of this, I do not reach my goal of placing in the top four? Will I not be successful?

Amelia Earhart never did make it all the way around the world in her plane.

M,

do you have different objectives for working out?

You may have an objective to place in the contest and not achieve it, that would not be successful and if that was the only objective than no you would have failed.

Lucky most people have more than one objective, or instance getting in shape is an objective for some, to get a certain look, or to be recognized for their hard work. This may lead to the benefits of succeeding in that objective.

People also have a great way of finding some other objective that perhaps didn't exist that a failure seems to fulfill. This is often a rationalization but it seems to make people happy when they do not achieve their intended objective.

I agree to a degree, but what about someone who sets a goal, works towards it, but does not achieve it? are they not a success on some level? or at least more of a success than the people who never even tried to reach the same goal?

i.e., I've set a goal to place in the top four of a physique competition. I'm working very hard towards this goal, working out 13 times a week, following a strict nutritional plan, etc. I'm transforming my body, getting stronger, adding muscle to my small frame, improving my confidence, posture, and overall health. But what it, at the end of this, I do not reach my goal of placing in the top four? Will I not be successful?

Amelia Earhart never did make it all the way around the world in her plane.

She also did not successfully land the plane, or successfully survive her attempt.

M,

do you have different objectives for working out?

You may have an objective to place in the contest and not achieve it, that would not be successful and if that was the only objective than no you would have failed.

Lucky most people have more than one objective, or instance getting in shape is an objective for some, to get a certain look, or to be recognized for their hard work. This may lead to the benefits of succeeding in that objective.

People also have a great way of finding some other objective that perhaps didn't exist that a failure seems to fulfill. This is often a rationalization but it seems to make people happy when they do not achieve their intended objective.

Yes. Originally my objective was simply to have a better body, to add muscle, to be stronger, and to lose excess body fat. Then came the question of , "what will it take to get there? am I willing to do it?" and that is how the comptetition came about. In the beginning, I simply saw it as a way to hold myself accountable for reaching the initial goal and it also gave me a deadline.

But once I started on this journey, I realized I wanted more than to simply have a good body. I want to place in the top four. I want a trophy that I can see and touch and put in a place in my home that is a visual reminder of what I accomplished.

If I don't place in the top four, I will be disappointed, but so much has come from this journey that I will not consider myself a failure. I have gained so much more than I ever expected. I had no idea when I set out to transform my body, just how much I would transform my mind.

It's an interesting discussion because clearly what defines success is in and of itself a very judgmental decision and probably is best left to oneself to determine. Who am I to judge if someone else is successful or not. And am I qualified to make that judgment anyway? Was Bernie Madoff successful until the point that he got caught out?

It's an interesting discussion because clearly what defines success is in and of itself a very judgmental decision and probably is best left to oneself to determine. Who am I to judge if someone else is successful or not. And am I qualified to make that judgment anyway? Was Bernie Madoff successful until the point that he got caught out?

Well, and what about people who are successful without really putting in a lot of effort. I played the cello for 12 years when I was younger and I was very good at it, but I really didn't have to practice or put much into it. I was just naturally gifted and it didn't mean much to me that I was good at it. I really didn't care. I got a scholarship to college for it, but I hated it and was miserable so much to my mother's dismay, I quit and never looked back. I don't miss it, I don't have regrets. As far as I was concerned, that chapter of my life was over. I may have been "talented" or whatever, but I put nothing into it, and got nothing out of it, even if other people did get something out of it. (like my mother who was so proud of my "achievements").

I would consider someone more of a success if they worked hard towards something that didn't come easy to them, but never reached the top than I would someone who reached the top without putting in the effort.

M,

you are mixing your wording a bit,


You are saying You are a success or failure, vs. you were successful or you failed.


You either Succeed or Fail to meet an objective. You specified the range of being in the top 4. if you do not do that, you will have failed to meet that objective.

Whether you feel like a failure is an emotional issue. You can still be happy with yourself and your progress while failing to meet an objective.

.99 cents won't get me the 1.00 soda out of the machine.

most people fail to set specific goals in an effort to make sure they never fail. When you set a specific goal that can be objectively measured then you have also created a verifiable was to judge success or failure. This is why people tend to try to protect themselves with poorly defined goals so that they can rationalize the results to themselves, so that they feel better about the results if they are not favorable.

Tying your emotions to outcome of an objective however can give varying responses. You can succeed and still feel that you failed because you are not being objective, so to you can fail and feel you succeeded because you are not being objective.

Just because I fail at one objective does not mean the holistically I am a failure. I have simply placed my feedback on an objective scale so that I can measure my results. I ether achieve the desired result or I did not. It's what I do with the feedback that determines my holistic placement on the scale of success or failure

Well, and what about people who are successful without really putting in a lot of effort. I played the cello for 12 years when I was younger and I was very good at it, but I really didn't have to practice or put much into it. I was just naturally gifted and it didn't mean much to me that I was good at it. I really didn't care. I got a scholarship to college for it, but I hated it and was miserable so much to my mother's dismay, I quit and never looked back. I don't miss it, I don't have regrets. As far as I was concerned, that chapter of my life was over. I may have been "talented" or whatever, but I put nothing into it, and got nothing out of it, even if other people did get something out of it. (like my mother who was so proud of my "achievements").

I would consider someone more of a success if they worked hard towards something that didn't come easy to them, but never reached the top than I would someone who reached the top without putting in the effort.


Here you are illustrating my point in my original post, It has to be aligned with your principles. Your principles are such that for you to value success it must require hard work to achieve it. So if you were able to take a pill and place number 1 in your show, it would probably not mean as much as working hard and placing number 5. Because the work is aligned to your principles and the feedback is also meaningful in the second example, where as the pill would give you feedback that was meaningless.

In this case, your objective (goal) may not be fully defined to be aligned to principles.

For example by freak circumstances, nobody qualified to be in the show shows up and you are surrounded by 300lbs people who have never worked out a day in their life and you win, somehow I suspect your objective of placing in the top 4 would not be meaningful to you.

So perhaps your real objective is closer to, "to work hard enough to be able to place in the top 4" This may be a more subjective goal, as the actual results of the competition isn't what is really being measured, but rather the work involved to get there.

I disagree with your viewpoint here. I think it is down to people to determine what success means to them. I think the definition of success is broader than just being about what you focus on, it's about the level of result that you achieve too. One person might feel successful making $50,000k a year and for another they would not feel successful unless they were making $250,000k per year. One person might consider themselves successful if they can bench 100 lbs and another would feel successful at 300 lbs. What determines whether you feel successful or not may depend on where that person is starting from, their peer group and so on. For one person being the first person to graduate from college in their family would make them a huge success but for another anything less than a doctorate could mean they are viewed as anything but, even by themselves.


I think the general definition of success is too generic to be meaningful and all depends on where you are putting your focus.


Hey Paul, I don't think you are actually disagreeing with me at all. If I achieve my "intended purpose" than I will perceive myself as successful, whether my intended purpose was to earn $50k/yr or $550k/yr.

Similarly, I consider my initial posting a "success" as it achieved its intended purpose. All these following thoughts on the subject of success, has me thinking about it from an entirely different angle.

Let's say "Bill" comes from a very troubled background: a broken home, a dependancy on drugs, a criminal record. But during his last stint in prison, he decides he's going to turn his life around. When he gets out of jail, McDonalds is the only place that will hire him. Two years later though, he is made store manager and is given a company car and earns enough money to purchase a small townhouse.

Now if I don't know anything about Bill, how "successful" will I think a McDonalds restaurant manager is?

Similarly, if "Ted's" father is Donald Trump and he gives him a job as vice president in one of his corporations, how successful will I think Ted is if I don't know who his father is?

So there are two aspects of being "successful" here. How successful does the individual feel he/she is. If I was Bill I would feel very successful. If I was Ted, I may actually feel quite empty unless I could prove to myself that I earned that position as VP.

And then there is how others perceive you. If you gave me a snapshot of Bill's life today and Ted's life today, I would most likely consider Ted to be the far more successful of the two.

In the same vein, I agree with "M". My wife and I both competed in an iron distance triathlon in Sonoma Valley (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run). My goal was to run the entire marathon portion without walking a step and finish in under 11 hours. My wife's goal was to finish. In my case, I can finish an Ironman triathlon with only the most modest amount of training. My wife however is not gifted with the same degree of natural strength and endurance as me and trained full on with a coach for a year. On race day temperatures were in the high 90's and the run section had 4 major hills. I failed in both of my goals. I had to walk the hill sections of the marathon, and I "would have" finished in close to 11 hours and 30 minutes. I say "would have" because I ducked out of the race just prior to crossing the finish line.

Instead of finishing at the end of my race, I joined the cheering bystanders and cheered my wife on. She was going to need to stay focused and push herself to her physical and mental limits if she was going to finish before the 16 hour cut off. I wish I was able to post photos so I would be able to show the picture of my wife and I crossing the finish line hand-in-hand in a time of 15 hours and 36 minutes.

So there are two people crossing a finish line together. But who was more successful?

And in response to M's other comment. I may have failed in my one goal to cross the line in under 11 hours, but I was able to succeed in an even bigger goal of providing support to my wife. So I agree with Wanderer in that although I definitely failed in one goal, I was fortunate that there were other goals where success was achieved. I believe M will have similar successes even if she fails to rank in the Top 4 in her competition.

i think once again we have over complicated it

To me success is to put our optimum performance and efforts into which ever Endeavor we wish to see results in, to be the top of our game, and to be the best damn person we can be for ourselves , our loved ones, our families friends and communities....and if this is the case you will always sleep well at night

Amelia Earhart never did make it all the way around the world in her plane.

I'm sure she enjoyed every moment of it, and enjoying the moment is quite successful. The word success is just a word. Living in the moment and "being" the person you want to be seems to be a success in itself. However, there is always some form of progress that must take place within a successful act. If every act is effective, than your whole life is a success.

"Don't let a mad world tell you that success is anything other than a successful present moment." — Eckhart Tolle

In my next post, I'm going to share my theory of Vision, Energy, Attitude and Resolve and how VEAR applies to Success. So now you know what I mean when I speak of "success". I'm curious though, what does it mean to you? Is there anything you feel I have left out?

My definition of success is pretty much the same. Accomplishing a goal. Working hard at something even if the outcome wasn't exactly what you hoped. Most importantly, doing what makes you happy.

I'm looking forward to your next post on VEAR.

I agree to a degree, but what about someone who sets a goal, works towards it, but does not achieve it? are they not a success on some level? or at least more of a success than the people who never even tried to reach the same goal?

i.e., I've set a goal to place in the top four of a physique competition. I'm working very hard towards this goal, working out 13 times a week, following a strict nutritional plan, etc. I'm transforming my body, getting stronger, adding muscle to my small frame, improving my confidence, posture, and overall health. But what it, at the end of this, I do not reach my goal of placing in the top four? Will I not be successful?

Amelia Earhart never did make it all the way around the world in her plane.

Mer, if you dropped out today, in my eyes you would be successful. Look how far you've come and how great you look. If you chose that the competition wasn't that important to you anymore, that doesn't make you any less successful.

i.e., I've set a goal to place in the top four of a physique competition.


I agree with Wanderer in a sense. I think that there is an inherent problem with this goal. The problem is that the results are not entirely within your control. You have no idea who you are going to be competing against. Your results are entirely based on your competition. Like Wanderer said, if only 300lb fatties show up to the competition, you will win first prize. But how proud is that going to make you. In contrast what if the four most successful physique competitors on the circuit show up to your event and drop you down to 5th place. How proud or successful would you feel then?

But unfortunately this is a goal which is tough to truly objectify. My goal to run a sub 11 hour Ironman, would normally place me in the top 25% of the competition. So in this instance, I could set that as my goal (to finish in the top 25%). But like you, even if I raced in 10:30, what if all the fastest triathletes in the sport showed up to this event. Then my overall placing would drop considerably.

So luckily in a sport like triathlon, I can set an objective time goal for myself. And if I can meet that mark I can consider myself a success. Because from my viewpoint, my opinion is the only one that matters. Most of my family and friends think I am an insane super athlete for even competing in a race of this distance. In their minds, just finishing an event like this is one of life's greatest accomplishments. But in my mind, I know that I can "finish" with only a moderate degree of effort.

Similarly there are people who think you are successful for simply taking on this challenge. Joanne even said that if you dropped out you would still be succcessful in her eyes. I disagree with that statement entirely, I don't judge results very strongly, I look more at the effort put forth. However, a quitter in my mind is never a success and I'm sure you would feel the same way.

Is there anything you can do to determine what you need to do to finish in fourth place? Would you need to get your body fat down to X%? Do you need a dance routine that incorporates a specific move? Do you need to achieve a symetrical, balanced musculature?

If you can do all those things, what is the likelihood of you making the podium? If it's possible, these are the goals I would set for myself. Then success is within your control and not determined by who decides to come out and compete against you on that given day.

I would also like to add that I like the ticker you have in your signature. I like the tickers that are 100% positive. You have this many days until "bikini day". I think that is a better approach than saying you have to lose this many pounds or suffer through this many more days of training. Tickers like that imply that things are not okay now, but will suddenly be better at the end of the ticker. But I think this is a discussion for another thread.

I am not sure conversations like this one, or the one about tickers, does anything to move anyone closer to their goals.

Why don't you share what you do in those corporate team building exercises?

Let's say "Bill" comes from a very troubled background: a broken home, a dependancy on drugs, a criminal record. But during his last stint in prison, he decides he's going to turn his life around. When he gets out of jail, McDonalds is the only place that will hire him. Two years later though, he is made store manager and is given a company car and earns enough money to purchase a small townhouse.

Now if I don't know anything about Bill, how "successful" will I think a McDonalds restaurant manager is?

Similarly, if "Ted's" father is Donald Trump and he gives him a job as vice president in one of his corporations, how successful will I think Ted is if I don't know who his father is?

So there are two aspects of being "successful" here. How successful does the individual feel he/she is. If I was Bill I would feel very successful. If I was Ted, I may actually feel quite empty unless I could prove to myself that I earned that position as VP.

And then there is how others perceive you. If you gave me a snapshot of Bill's life today and Ted's life today, I would most likely consider Ted to be the far more successful of the two.

I think that what other people perceive is not much of my damn business. Do you really think that 'Bill' cares whether or not you think he is successful? If he pulled himself up outta that mess and has a house and a car and is not in jail, doncha think he's feelin pretty damn successful and your opinion isn't going to change that?

There are days when getting out of bed is my ONLY success. Yesterday, walking in to work was like finishing an Olympic triathlon (fortunately, those days are few; and even today was better). Given the alternatives that would be death or insanity, I don't really care that people think my crappy little government job isn't 'successful'.

Well, and what about people who are successful without really putting in a lot of effort. I played the cello for 12 years when I was younger and I was very good at it, but I really didn't have to practice or put much into it. I was just naturally gifted and it didn't mean much to me that I was good at it. I really didn't care. I got a scholarship to college for it, but I hated it and was miserable so much to my mother's dismay, I quit and never looked back. I don't miss it, I don't have regrets. As far as I was concerned, that chapter of my life was over. I may have been "talented" or whatever, but I put nothing into it, and got nothing out of it, even if other people did get something out of it. (like my mother who was so proud of my "achievements").

I would consider someone more of a success if they worked hard towards something that didn't come easy to them, but never reached the top than I would someone who reached the top without putting in the effort.

Hey Mer, that's one of my favorite topics. It's what I call the difference between skill and talent. Talent is something innate in people. Skill is what we learn and hone and practice, and occasionally value more than talent.

I first learned this with my step-brother, who is a gifted (truly gifted) carpenter. He doesn't value that in himself, because he didn't sweat to learn it. He did some carpentry-ish sort of thing for my dad, and my dad was gushing thanks. My brother sort of snorted, and said, 'anyone could do that.' My dad dropped his jaw, and said, '*I* couldn't do it!' But my dear brudder doesn't get it. He works doing CAD design now for some builder, I think.

It fascinates me how people don't value things they're gifted at. I'm not surprised at all by story. I'm so happy that you walked away though, to do something that brings you joy and happiness (and success!). I think my bro loved carpentry, but he wasn't able to understand that it was his gift. Thinking 'anybunny could do it', he wasn't able to get outside the box to find ways of employing that talent to get him the other things he wanted in life.

Success, to me, is setting goals and then accomplishing them! It doesn't matter if they are big or small compared to someone elses success or goals.

Success seems to change almost on a daily basis for me.Great post about success! Thank you for sharing these quotes.You give me something to think in terms of my own definition of success.

Interesting thread. Although I have a habit of being skeptical of things with too clever acronyms.

For me personally, success is the achievement of something I really wanted and worked hard to do/get - whether it's big or small, if it's an important goal and I achieve it, I was successful!

Success is results.

No matter what you do, for what purpose you do it and how you do it: You need results to call it a success.

Too many call "doing" or a process a success. Or dealing with esoteric and spirutual defintions of success just to avoid the simple fact that real success means to deliver results.