Crossing the finish line first; just reaching the finish line; just qualifying to be in the event; being there -actually in the arena; watching your hero or heroes achieve it from the comfort of your lounge chair; watching and encouraging your loved one; training or coaching someone to do it; a done deal; a new job; an exam passed; a baby born; a moment captured; a warm embrace; a glass of red; a beautiful smile; another breath taken; feeling at peace; hearing the birds tweet; seeing the sun rise; feeling the breeze on your cheek; knowing that you did it.

Every one of these, and thousands more, could be your definition of ‘success’.

I was sitting here thinking, ‘what can I say about success?’

‘What hot tips for success can I give people today?’

So I did what all of us bright people do today – I googled it!

Dictionary.com defined it in logical terms:

1. The accomplishment of an aim or purpose.
2. The attainment of popularity or profit.
3. A person or thing that achieves desired aims or attains prosperity.
4. The outcome of an undertaking, specified as achieving or failing to achieve its aims.

Well as I continued searching, it soon became obvious that were you to ask a thousand human beings, you could potentially get a thousand different answers.

I was at a networking meeting this week and had a wonderful chat with a new friend I made by the name of Peter Hunt, who runs his own marketing business. I had talked about my coaching mission to help other people achieve their dreams and cross things off their personal bucket lists, like seeing the pyramids, climbing the Inca trail to Macchu Picchu and so on.

He congratulated me on my intentions and said that some of the things I had mentioned in my brief presentation to the group had struck some chords with him.

Peter went on to remind me though, not to forget that not everybody wants to go on adventures, dive with sharks, travel the world and so on. Not everyone would share my vision of what success means.

I said, ‘Peter, you’re absolutely right’. We agreed that for some people, success might be something as simple as having more time with their family, looking up at a blue sky, having a relaxing afternoon and so on.

Success can take many forms, from the most simple to the most complicated.

I suddenly remembered that many years ago, I heard a recording of a speech by Earl Nightingale, entitled ‘The Strangest Secret’. If you haven’t heard it, I strongly recommend that you listen to it because it just might change your life. It certainly changed mine.

Earl’s take on success was this:

First, we have to define success and here is the best definition I’ve ever been able to find: “Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal.”

A success is the school teacher who is teaching because that’s what he or she wants to do. A success is the entrepreneur who start his own company because that was his dream — that’s what he wanted to do. A success is the salesperson who wants to become the best salesperson in his or her company and sets forth on the pursuit of that goal.

A success is anyone who is realizing a worthy predetermined ideal, because that’s what he or she decided to do … deliberately. But only one out of 20 does that!

Earl Nightingale – from ‘The Strangest Secret’

Earl went on to talk  about how people shelve their dreams and instead of taking risks in the pursuit of them, they conform.

I won’t steal the rest of his thunder but he concluded with the following:

‘Do what the experts since the dawn of recorded history have told us to do: pay the price, by becoming the person you want to become. It’s not nearly as difficult as living unsuccessfully.

The moment you decide on a goal to work toward, you’re immediately a successful person — you are then in that rare group of people who know where they’re going. Out of every hundred people, you belong to the top five. Don’t concern yourself too much with how you are going to achieve your goal — leave that completely to a power greater than yourself. All you have to do is know where you’re going. The answers will come to you of their own accord, and at the right time.

Start today. You have nothing to lose — but you have your whole life to win.’

So, have you figured it out? – My hot success tip for today is a simple one.

Tony’s Viewpoint:

Figure out what success means to you, grab hold of that ideal, embrace it and live it or strive for it, but as you chase that vision, remember to stop some time every day and be thankful for those simple things – that breath of fresh air, that blue sky, that gentle breeze, that smile on the face of someone you have been able to help in some small way.

That’s called simply – ‘enjoy your life’.

Enjoy your life, my friend, enrich the lives of those whose life you touch and you are already a success.

Until next time, seize the day, and seize your success!