Success, it's not what the world portrays, that's for sure.

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If I asked a thousand different people their definition of success, I would get a thousand different answers.  There would be some similarities amongst all of the answers, but in reality they would all be different.  Why should you believe my definition of success?  You shouldn't.  I mean I think I have a pretty good grasp on the concept of success, but my concept could be entirely different from yours. I know what I believe success to be, but until you are able to wrap your arms around what you believe or think, there isn't much I can say to change how you think or feel about success.

At a much younger age I thought of success much like the rest of society thinks about success.  I considered success to mean having enough money to do what ever I desired, reaching the pinnacle of my chosen profession, and otherwise looking down from my ivory tower to the rest of those who were still trying to achieve what I had already done.  Regrettably most of the surface success we see today is nothing more than a manifestation of the ego.  It is doing what ever it takes to come out on top without regard to what you have to do to get there.  Well that was then and this is now.  My views on success are almost 180 degrees from where they used to be.  My views on success somewhat mirror what Winston Churchill once said, "Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm."  I have failed in the past, and without fear of contradiction, it was never fun, but it was eye opening.  Even in our failures there is an element of success when you are able as Churchill says to go from one failure to another and still not give up the vision, not give up the dream, and not give up on yourself.

Success is knowing you are on the right path and it doesn't matter if occasionally you take the wrong road.  The key to success is having the determination that you will get to your desired place, and when you do, you will realize the bigger picture.  There is a reason you have a destiny.  Destiny is not as much what it does for you, as it is what it does for others.  Selflessness is a core principle when it comes to destiny.  What can I do for others to help them achieve their destiny?  This is the question I ask myself each day and each day I try to put into place plans and actions to do just that.  I was asked a question the other day about my destiny.  The question was posed more as a statement then anything else, but here's the gist of it:  would I still consider myself a success, or would I still believe I am walking in my destiny if I only sell one book, or help one person discover their destiny?  My response was immediate and concise:  yes!  It's not the numbers that count.  Numbers are a system set up by man to determine success or failure.  If I was put here on this earth to help just one person and then my task was over, then so be it.  If one is always worried about how they measure up to others then they will always be striving for success, because quite frankly there will always be someone else who has just a little bit more than you.

I write because that is who I am, a writer.  My success as a writer is in knowing that I am in the right place at the right time, and that I am following the leading of that still small voice that tells me what to do, how to do it, and when to do it.  My success as a writer is not measured against the New York Times Best Seller list, or whether or not I ever sell a million copies of any book that I have written.  These accolades may come my way but they in no way determine the measure of success that I have.  When and only when you are able to remove ego from any equation, from any aspect of what you are doing, will you ever discover the true meaning of success.

I believe that everyone has the potential to be successful.  My dreams are all about helping others achieve that success.  It matters not whether I am plastered across newspaper headlines, or magazine covers because of what I do.  Certainly that would be something to smile about, but if that never happens does that mean I have failed and am no longer considered successful?  Well not in my eyes, and to be perfectly honest, my eyes, my view of who and what I am is all that matters.  There will be those who will never be able to admit or who will never be able to be joyful over the successes of others.  Unfortunately these will be the same people who will always be striving for more and will always come up just a tad bit short.  We need to be cheerleaders for others.  Those who may sit on the sideline, but with unabashed enthusiasm rooting on those who are attempting to do something.  My desire is that those who I am able to help will go on to do greater things then I could ever have imagined even for myself.  Success is knowing that you have been a critical part in helping someone else achieve the dreams and goals they have in their own life.

So you see, success is not about me, it is really about others.  The world says to look at for number one, and that is OK if number one is every other person out there. If you are able to invest in others, then the dividends that come back to you will be more then you could ever imagine.  I give of myself so that others to may give to others.  Success in all that you do is based on knowing all that you are.  When you understand your destiny, you purpose, then you will have a success that will never be able to taken away from you.  Walking in your destiny is the ultimate definition of success.  I encourage you to think on these things.  Put away what you may have been told about success and begin to think on this new view of success.  If you can make the leap from me, me, me, to what I can do for others, then you will achieve a measure of success that others will be talking about for years to come.  I know you can make this shift, and when you do, the world will change in front of your very eyes.