The Secret to Success

"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing." Abraham Lincoln.

How do you measure success? By what standard can we know that we have actually achieved it?

If you were to ask one hundred people what success is , you would get a hundred different answers. It is possible that many of the answers would center around the same idea, but each would have their own individual spin on the question. Some people believe that success is measured by the amount of money you are able to accumulate.

Other people believe success is achieved when you get that job you have always wanted, or being able to travel any time you want. The fact is, know one has an exact answer because success cannot be limited or defined in one clearly worded phrase. The true measure of success is not determined by someone else's desire for your life, but rather by your own individual values and goals.

Anna Quindlen once said, “If your success is not on your own terms, if it looks good to the world, but does not feel good in your heart, it is not success at all.”

There will always be someone around trying to tell you what you ought to do. But at some point the decision for your life will be yours. People are often quick to give advice, and then when things go bad, they are nowhere to be found. If you are going to have to bear the consequences, let it at least be because of your own decision.

We are taught that in order to be successful, we must have the right car, the right clothes, live in the right neighborhood, and send our kids to the right schools. We do all this in order to make someone else happy with us. When you try to “keep up with the Joneses” in order to achieve success, you are actually working against yourself. Did you ever notice in school all the kids who tried to be like everyone else, so they would be part of the group? But the ones who were actually noticed, were the kids who were brave enough to be their own person, and stand out from the crowd.

Bill Cosby once said, “I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.”

To find success, you need to ask yourself what really makes you happy! It is possible that your success may be the ultimate achievement of a singular goal, but it is also possible that success may come to you not in one event, but maybe through the accomplishment of several smaller achievements leading you to a culmination of many successes in your life.

If your goal is to make a lot of money in your lifetime, then so be it, as long as that is truly what makes you happy. There are also people who would consider themselves to be a success, not by accumulating a lot of wealth but by being able to provide what their family needs to live on. Some people feel successful living in a big mansion, while others consider success just having a roof over their heads. It is all a matter of your own values. It is not about judging each other, or deciding what is right for someone else. The only one who can make that decision is them.

Christopher Morley (1890-1957) once said, “There is only one success -to be able to spend your life in your own way.”

So, is there actually a key to success?

A few years ago, I read a book by Napoleon Hill called, “Think and Grow Rich”. In this book he describes several people who society would consider to be successful. People like John Rockerfeller, Henry Ford, and Andrew Carnegie just to name a few. Throughout the book he kept referring to the secret they knew, that gave them such great success. It was an interesting book, because after he would talk about that persons life, he would remind you that they knew the secret, and if you kept reading you might be able to figure it out.

I have actually read the book several times trying to make sense of the secret. It wasn't until I had experienced many of the same life lessons, that I came upon the secret. I am actually going to give you the secret here in just a moment, but I have to caution you. As plainly as I may give it out, you may still miss it. I'm not saying you won't understand, but you may not be in a place in your life to really grasp hold of the true meaning.

Let me assure you, this secret is a very powerful ally. It is what caused Thomas Edison to be able to invent the light bulb after failing over 1000 times. It allowed Milton Hershey to come up with a recipe for a Chocolate bar after having gone bankrupt 4 times before he became famous. It is the same secret that will carry you to your own success when you learn to apply it to your life. Again let me caution you. This secret is very simple, but if you understand it's power you will have success.

The secret to success is: Never give up!