I’m sure we’ve all heard many different definitions of success.
Earl Nightingale said ‘Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal.’
Napoleon Hill said, ‘Success is being able to achieve whatever you want in life, without violating the rights of others.’
I heard another this week, from Ralph Waldo Emerson that inspired me and wanted to send your way.
Before I share it though, I want to let you know that I edited it.
Whether you like my edits or not, I think the edit, carries a worthwhile lesson.
Definitions from others, as to what it means to live a great life, are all wonderful and can help to serve, lift and inspire us.
But at the end of the day, it’s important that we each define our own versions of what it means to succeed.
Otherwise, we’ll have nothing to strive for and won’t be able to evaluate how we’ve done.
Many people define success with dollars in the bank account.
Is that what success means to you?
For me, money may be part of the description, but it’s only a part.
I want to live in such a way that when I leave this earth, if there is something in the great beyond – I’ll be able to take some worthwhile luggage with me, on the trip.
I want to live in such a way that those eternal bags I’m packing, will give me strength and joy and happiness, even before I depart for that final flight.
I think these lines from Ralph Waldo Emerson (and edited by me) help to point the way.
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To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of myself, those of strong character
and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest souls and endure
the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty;
To find the best in others;
To give of myself;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch, or an improved social condition;
To have played and laughed with enthusiasm and
sung with exultation;
To dance in and through the rains of life;
To always seek the highest good, and set a bright example;
To know even one life has breathed easier because I have lived –
This is to have succeeded.
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To our success today,
Paul