The Success Puzzle

Why do so many struggle with success? Perhaps the best, and somehow least obvious, answer to that question is: they have never defined success for themselves. If you don’t know what you’re looking for, how on earth are you going to find it?

While studying a chapter from Wallace Wattles outstanding “The Science of Getting Rich” I stumbled upon the following excerpt:

“Getting what you want is success; and success is an effect, coming from the application of a cause. Success is essentially the same in all cases; the difference is in the things the successful people want, but not in the success. Success is essentially the same, whether it results in the attainment of health, wealth, development or position; success is attainment, without regard to the things attained”.

This excerpt is worth contemplating a hundred times or more. Essentially, Wattles has broken down success into three basic categories. He suggests success is:

1. Getting what you want- For many, the word “want” is unfortunately linked to greed or selfishness. Through conditioning and a popular song by the Rolling Stones, we’ve been sold on the idea we can’t always get what we want. Well, suppose that’s true. Is it then evil or bad to strive for the many things we want? The truth is we all want something different. Some strive for excellence in athletics. Others in business. Many want to be a stay at home mom or dad. Some want to seclusion. Imagine a great musician or artist retiring to his/her home in the mountains in Wyoming, to immerse themselves in their art and have little to no contact with society. Is that person successful? Wattles would suggest, and I agree, that person is highly successful as they have gotten what they want. As “anti-social” as their behavior seems, they are living honestly and in harmony with their hearts desire. To quote Emmet Fox, “You Heart’s Desire is the Voice of God, and that voice must be obeyed sooner or later.”

2. An Effect- Ralph Waldo Emerson referred to the Law of Cause and Effect as the “law of laws.” The world we live in is a world of effects. Everything you observe was, at one time, only a thought in the mind of one person. There are no exceptions to this rule. With respect to success, therefore, the question becomes: what does success look like to you? Is the image clear or vague? Have you ever contemplated that question? The cause of success is directly related to mental image of the thing desired. Earl Nightingale defined success as “the progressive realization of a worthy ideal.” The “effect” in this case is the worthy ideal. And its realization is progressive, meaning it will take time to manifest. During the time it takes to create the effect, are you a success? Absolutely! No great thing is attained overnight. During the year or more it takes a writer to create a book, is he/she any less successful at the beginning than the end of the process? I would suggest the writer is a success from the start. Within the context of cause and effect, you simply need to create the image, take effective action, and make sure you’re progressive in both thought and activity.

3. The same in all cases- Who is more successful, Bill Gates or Mother Theresa? It’s an impossible question to answer. The truth is both are magnificent successes. But if you were to judge Mother Theresa’s success by the number of computer operating systems she created, she would be judged a miserable failure.

Unfortunately, many feel the need to measure their success by someone else’s standard. Success is somehow linked to the clothes they wear, the car they drive, the income they earn. Success requires no such yardstick. Success is the same in all cases. So give yourself a break! Pay no mind to the standards set by the world. Whether or not someone else judges you to be successful has nothing to do with either your success or potential. Adopt an attitude of “what you think of me is none of my business” and then go about your successful life and the pursuit of your unique passions with purpose, joy, and intention.

Success can be an elusive thing, but only if we’re convinced it is elusive. The truth is, when you get a clear image of what success means for you, and take action to attract the image into your life, you are at that moment more successful than most people on earth.