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Prosperity: the condition of being successful or thriving. -Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Prosperity: the state of being successful and having a lot of money. -Cambridge Dictionary
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Which of the two definitions above concerning prosperity and success do we believe? Both definitions use prosperity and success interchangeably. Merriam-Webster adds the word thriving, while the Cambridge Dictionary equates prosperity to having a lot of money.
Both definitions are almost identical but have very subtle differences. Both describe prosperity as the state of being successful, but the first defines prosperity as thriving, whereas the second describes prosperity as having a lot of money.
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So is success a function of thriving, or is success a function of Net Worth?
I hate to differ with the Merriam-Webster and Cambridge dictionaries, but I feel both are incorrect!
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How is Success Defined?
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If thriving and net worth are the primary metrics used to measure success, then Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk would be considered two of the most successful people in the world. These men are two of the highest net-worth individuals in the world and would be considered “thriving” by most measures.
But if happiness is used as a measure of success, are these two men successful? Both men have been involved in messy personal relationships and divorces. Both seem continually driven to seek more. More money, more sexual relationships, more power!
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Can True Success be Realized by Continually Seeking “More?”
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Both men have more money than they could reasonably spend in several lifetimes and have unlimited access to the trappings that unlimited money provides. But, are they happy?
Happiness is the one true key to success! Many people would say that being successful makes you happy.
I would propose the reverse. Being happy will ultimately make you successful!
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Happiness is a state of mind that is independent of net worth. Happiness comes from within a person, instead of through the “things” that we surround ourselves with.
Everyone needs to be able to provide necessities, such as food, clothing, and shelter. But, does more food, a closet full of clothes, or a bigger house mean that someone is more successful?
In many cases, the answer is “No,” if more food, a closet full of clothes, and a bigger house are not associated with personal happiness. Everyone can give numerous examples of extremely wealthy people who are also extremely unhappy.
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So, if Happiness is the Key to Success, and Happiness is Not Merely About Money, What are the Pathways to Success and Happiness?
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“Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty, and persistence.” — Colin Powell
Dictionary.com defines success as the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors; the accomplishment of one’s goals. Success is the attainment of wealth, position, honors, or the like.
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Success is subjective! Success is not dependent on money, social status, or age. Some people use money as the scorecard of success. But, money does not define success. The path to success is paved with many traits. Some successful people have only mastered a few of these traits. Some successful people have mastered almost all of these traits. But, mastery of a certain number of these traits does not define success. Success is subjective, and the pathway to happiness differs for everyone.
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Pathways to Happiness and Success
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Here are some of the ways used to measure success. These are listed in no particular order, and one does not need to possess or master all of these traits to be happy:
- Having a purposeful life– both Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk created businesses that provide employment opportunities for workers while providing products and services for millions of people. Does this mean that jobs and occupations that are less impactful, by default, are less successful or less purposeful? All avocations can be meaningful! The Japanese have a philosophy of “washing the glass to wash the glass.” The glass is not washed merely to clean it. The Japanese regard cleaning as more than a common chore. It’s an ascetic practice to cultivate the mind. All jobs are purposeful and create happiness when undertaken with the mindset of getting optimal results and not merely doing a chore or fulfilling an obligation.
- Owning your own choices– today we live in an era of victimhood. No one wants to be responsible for their actions, and a person’s position in life is the result of some external action, not because of their personal choices. It takes a great deal of courage to realize and admit that where we are in life is where we have chosen to be. Everyone faces critical choices during their lifetime. In my practice, there have been instances where patients have left my practice because of my unwillingness to do things that were illegal or immoral. Something as simple as miss-dating or back-dating insurance forms to increase patients’ insurance reimbursement can create legal or moral problems as both of these procedures institute insurance fraud. In these cases, I had to decide whether it was more important to keep the patient or keep my morals intact while staying out of jail!
- Generosity– Charles “Chuck” Feeney fostered the idea of Giving While Living and managed to give away over 8 billion dollars before his death. I would imagine he was a happy man when he died because he saw the results of his generosity before his death.
- Satisfaction– if we consulted Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, would we find that they are satisfied with their billions of dollars? Satisfaction is another reason to reconsider the statement that having billions equals success and happiness. If they are not satisfied, then they may not feel successful. Satisfaction can be a double-edged sword. Satisfaction may breed complacency. Complacency is the enemy of success. Complacency means not wanting to strive any further. Complacency is a placeholder that inhibits further growth.
- Personal happiness– personal happiness is the scorecard for success. At the core of success is the question of whether the successful person is happy. If that person is not happy, then they are not successful!
- High self-esteem– most successful people have a positive self-view. Life’s road is full of bumps and potholes for anyone without a positive sense of self-worth.
- Positive attitude– I’ve always approached life as a realistic optimist. I try to maintain a positive attitude while acknowledging the realities of life. It’s better to see the glass half full rather than half empty.
- Setting goals– planning and goal-setting are crucial to success. Alice in Wonderland’s Cheshire Cat stated this principle very succinctly: “If you don’t know where you are going any road can take you there.” Another noteworthy quote by Benjamin Franklin states: “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” You’ll never reach the goals you don’t set! Is it obvious that I’m big on planning?
- Perseverance (mental toughness)– it’s a rare person who can shut out all the noise around us every day and fully commit to a particular task. Thomas Edison, the inventor of the incandescent light bulb, is a study in perseverance. It was perseverance when Edison, after failing one thousand times, said “I didn’t fail 1000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1000 steps. Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” Perseverance is not a study of how many times you fall, but in how many times you get back up.
- Commitment– commitment is defined as being dedicated to a particular cause or activity. I have always had a particular fondness for commitments. To commit to something is easy to do. To follow through and complete a commitment is often much harder. It requires mental toughness to follow through with a promise, when other, more desirable, options present themselves. Commitment is doing what you promised to do, not necessarily what you want to do!
- Maintaining a healthy mind, body, and spirit– it seems as though the health of mind, body, and spirit would be self-explanatory. Most prosperous people maintain high standards for their personal, physical, mental, and spiritual health.
- Clarity of purpose– clarity of purpose goes hand-in-hand with planning. Having a plan is good. But, for any plan to have the greatest chance for success, it must be clear, organized, and have clarity of purpose. Unfocused efforts are not effective.
- Growth mindset– having a growth mindset is a state of mind that encourages forward movement. Instead of viewing an obstacle or failure as a negative event, ask “What does this make possible?”
- Courage– courage is expressed in many forms. Courage is the ability to move forward in the face of fear, or negative consequences. Courage can also be the ability to support an unfavorable view or position. Courageous people do what is proper regardless of the personal consequences.
- Emotional intelligence– emotional intelligence promotes rational thought and reaction to life situations. This could also be termed “ being the adult in the room.”
- Self-motivation– being a self-starter. Self-motivation means addressing and completing a task without being prompted. Self-starters are always looking for the next project to complete.
- Flexibility– an often overlooked trait of successful people is the ability to comprehend and embrace new information, even when this information conflicts with their position. Flexibility is the absence of dogmatic positions.
- Curiosity– successful people are always open to new and better ideas. Successful people are willing to try new ideas, even if the rate of success is poor. Curious people tend to ask more questions.
- Competitiveness– a common trait of successful people is competitiveness. We normally think of people competing with others. Most successful people compete with themselves. Many successful people don’t view business competitors as the enemy but as a means for their self-improvement.
- Social network– most successful people have strong social networks that they maintain to promote personal and business opportunities. However, some very successful people are very stringent in their desire to remain apart from social interactions. These successful people feel that minimal social contact fosters better personal focus.
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As seen above, there are many paths to success and many available tools to aid in that journey. It’s important to note that all of the tools listed above are acquired skills. Everyone is born with a certain skill set of natural abilities. The above-stated tools are learned skills, and successful people have mastered one or more of these skills. It could also be said that each of these above-named skills also generates happiness when functioning at the highest and purest form.
We’ve seen that success doesn’t hinge on wealth, power, or things. It’s my personal opinion that success is the result of personal happiness. And happiness is the result of mastery of one or more of the above-stated tools. So, it’s worth looking over these tools and finding one or more that you feel you can master. These tools can be the key to your success! Grab one or two and start down the path of mastering these traits to achieve your own success!
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Final Thoughts
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- Many people would say that being successful makes you happy. I would propose the reverse. Being happy will ultimately make you successful!
- Success is subjective!
- Multiple traits can facilitate both happiness and success.
- Successful people have mastered one or more of the traits needed for success.
- Success doesn’t hinge on wealth, power, or things.
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