“Do you want to be SUCCESSFUL? 

I went from $1 in my pocket to $100 million in my bank, just by using ONE BIG SECRET.

Buy my course for $297 and I’ll show you exactly how you can do it too.”

We’d be lying if we said we haven’t heard some form of this sales pitch before. Whether it was from a salesman trying to convince us that a timeshare is a “ wise investment,” or a Youtube business “guru” selling us a course- it’s easy to see a “get rich quick scheme” coming from a mile away. 

However, “get rich quick schemes” are a perfect example of why we need to think about the topic of success a little more carefully. Namely, what does it really mean to “be successful?” Lots of people in society try to package, bottle, and sell the dream of success, but it’s important to know what success means to you before letting someone else sell it to you. 

When you hear the word success, it’s easy to start dreaming. That’s a good thing. We love to dream about the potential of the future. And personally, I think it’s healthy to set goals and dream about the life we want. In fact, psychology shows us that visualizing our goals directly relates to achieving them! 

According to  research, “the thalamus [the part of the reality-making process of the brain] makes no distinction between inner and outer realities, and thus, any idea, if contemplated long enough, will take on a semblance of reality … The concept begins to feel more attainable and real, and this is the first step in motivating other parts of the brain to take deliberate action in the world.”

For future and goal-oriented people like us, this is GREAT news. Now we know that motivation and inspiration are directly correlated to real world results, and will help us actually achieve our goals. (If you want daily inspiration, click here →) 

But one main problem remains when it comes to defining success for the modern age: success seems to be different for everyone, depending on what matters to them. 

If one were to meditate on their desire for future success, they might say:

• “I want to be successful.”
• “I will be successful.” 
• “When I’m successful…” 

But when I think about these mantras further, something rubs me the wrong way. It seems that there is a disparity between what success really looks like compared to the caricatures we make of it when fantasizing (but not claiming to have it yet.) For people who consider themselves “not yet successful,” images of money and material wealth oftentimes consume the idea of success. 

Such fantasies include:

• Flying private or in first class
• Luxury sports cars
• Boat rides in Miami
• Five star hotels 

The list goes on. However, for already “successful” people, they do not think about things this way. They’d probably say the material wealth came naturally when pursuing the right thing for them. Yet, when they achieved that so often dreamed about material wealth, they didn’t stop working. 

Why? 

Because success is a LOT more than just material wealth- and it almost never is fueled by the desire for money alone. 

(the caricature of success, often propagated by musicians and performers putting on a show)

(the less pretty reality of success) 

To form a better working definition of success, let’s first examine the very way we use “success” in language and logical arguments regarding it. 

In formal logic, sound arguments are made using “premises” which need to be true.

For instance, a famous sound logical argument is:

Premise 1: Socrates is a man

Premise 2: All men are mortal

----

Conclusion: Therefore, Socrates is mortal. 

This is an example of a true, sound logical argument.  However, in society, valid arguments can be made using false premises, and we often fail to notice when it happens. (This is called valid, because the argument functions properly, but is based on false premises, so the conclusion is false.)  

When redefining success, we need to be sure our opinions about success aren’t formed on false premises, too! 

Let’s get more hands-on with the logic, and how easy it is to accept false definitions/assumptions of success. 

Here’s a valid but false argument:

Premise 1: Warren Buffett is successful       (objectively true)

Premise 2: All successful people drive Ferraris      (false, but something many people assume so)

---

Conclusion: Therefore, Warren Buffett drives a Ferrari.     (definitely false.)

This conclusion is a false statement- the frugal Warren Buffet is actually very humble about his material wealth and is famous for driving a modest car and living in the same home since the 70s. Actually, many billionaires behave the same way. 

(Mark Zuckerberg and his $30,000 Acura)

Yet, this bad logical argument is an example of how people use the dream of success to draw conclusions about what you should do, without ever giving you time to dissect their statements more carefully or think more about the topic.

So, instead of trying to deduce what success is based on material things and external behavior, let’s look at what really drives the uber-successful: their mentality and driving goals. 

All of the following people are millionaires and billionaires, yet none of them stopped working once they reached a large net worth.

• Bill Gates
• Jeff Bezos
• Oprah Winfrey
• Warren Buffett
• Mark Zuckerberg
• Steve Jobs
• Madonna
• J.K. Rowling

Furthermore, all the people on this list have drastically different material lifestyles, even though they can all afford to live in the lap of luxury. Oftentimes, they directly and intentionally choose not to be ostentatious. 

From this we can assume that the defining characteristics of successful people cannot stem from material things, because it is a source of inconsistency among them. (That’s not to say we cannot examine the specific material habits of specific people to learn from them- we just can’t assume these things are the same across the board.)

There are a few things, however, that the uber-successful do all have in common, in my estimates. 

1. Material/monetary stasis has been achieved, but is not their driving motivation. They’re able to think past the basic survival needs and extend their work into the inspired. 
2. They have total freedom and control of their time- filling their days with only what matters to them. 
3. They are governed by larger goals, oftentimes benevolent and world-changing in nature. 
4. They are able to achieve the goals they set and make an impact. They’re productive and effective as well as “big thinking.” 
5. They never stop the pursuit of “better.” Every win along the road is just a reason to work harder, and sets the stage for larger headway. 

When we think about success this way, it seems that it’s more about creating the life you want, where you can make an impact in the way you think is best. Further, it seems that “success” isn’t a destination, nor a number on a bank account. It’s a constant practice of knowing yourself, making consistently effective decisions, pivoting with change, and always staying true to yourself and your prerogative. 

Now, if you haven’t already- this is the time to define what success means to you. After all, you’re the only person who can define what you want it to look and feel like in your own life.  

Here are a few questions to inspire you while you decide what success means to you:

• What are you doing when you are happiest?
• How do you think the world could be better?
• If money weren’t an object, how would you spend your time?
• If you had enough money to help people, what would you do? 
• How can you make life easier for other people?

As Albert Schweitzer says:  "Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful."

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