Success

Chatting to a cohort member and friend that is in first year in the MBA, I thought this was a pretty insightful thought:

Cohort: “I tend to focus on how much more I need to accomplish as opposed to all that I have already accomplished… if that makes sense?”

My response:

It does. But that is the wrong perspective to have. Because you will carry on achieving great things. Success is measured in what we have achieved, not in what we are about to achieve.

Reality check. Success is different for everyone, we have our own internal definition of what success is, and we also have other people exerting their external projections of what success is, especially those perceptions of success on us?

As an example:

Have your parents / siblings ever said how proud they are of you? Quantify why? It’s not just because you share a blood relation (for the most part). It’s not just because of love, but also because of what you, yes you! have achieved as an individual that makes them proud. I think we all have our own specific achievements that we, ourselves, are proud of. And no, those don’t necessarily need to be “out in the open” achievements. Sometimes its good to just do things, for the sake of doing good, than letting people know about that good. Because the person (people) you have helped in that act, realise the good in it, and they will hopefully pay it forward.

On the note of paying it forward, I try and mentor a couple of people. When I get asked, how can we repay you — it is not about being “repaid”, it is about paying it forward.

So. I say, instead of trying to give me something, rather find someone that you can pay it forward to and be a guiding (good) influence to.