WHAT IS SUCCESS REALLY

I thought I’d take a break this week from talking about Scentura, and instead bring up the general concept of success. I’ve posted some quotes to get you’re thoughts jump started. Now I’m gonna write about some of the things that go through my mind when I think about success…

First of all, when we think of success, we’re probably thinking of a general feeling of accomplishment in life. That we’re doing something we enjoy, something that’s for the greater good more or less, doesn’t hurt anyone, and makes us some money.

Everyone’s definition is a little different, but I think what it comes down to is, are your results consistent with your expectations and desires? In other words, are you getting what you want?

The difficult part is, our brains can be irrational. Meaning, your results could be pretty well aligned with what you want in most areas of your life… but one or two areas where they aren’t can seem overwhelmingly disappointing, which can overshadow the successes.

Then add the fact that there are always certain things that are going to be out of your control… a family member becomes ill, someone rear-ends you at a stoplight, or even little things like spilling a cup of coffee on your favorite white dress shirt.

I think it’s this little quirk in our brains that skews our perspective and causes us to dwell on the things that are not consistent with our desires and expectations, versus enjoying the things that are.

You ever notice people that seem like they have it all, and have it all together, yet they’re unhappy and miserable? And then there’s people that don’t have much going for themselves at all, yet they smile and seem genuinely happy. So in this instance, if happiness = success, then clearly it’s not about money or material things, it’s about enjoying what you already have, however much or little it might be.

The problem with contentment is that it can rob you of ambition and desire to keep achieving and chasing your dreams. I’ve heard it said, “Success is a journey, not a destination.”

Ultimately, I think success is deciding on a goal, picking your team members, creating a plan to get there, taking the first step, staying the course, overcoming the obstacles, enduring the rollercoaster, seeing it through to completion, and then doing it all over again. Without that, life would be boring and uninteresting!

Think about it for a second… let’s say you had all the money you’ll ever need for a lifetime. What would you do? You’d probably hang out on the beach all day, travel the world, and buy a bunch of stuff. It may take a while, a few years even, but eventually you’d get bored. At some point you’re gonna start to feel like you’re just wasting space.

Don’t get me wrong, I want cool stuff as much as anyone. I’d love to travel the world, play the best golf courses, stay in nice hotels, and eat great food all the time. But after a couple years of that, I’d be itching for a project.

Success is undertaking an endeavour that gets you up in the morning, gets your blood going, gives you a sense of purpose, and gives you the chance to help other people along the way. Sound familiar?


Iris Flores
Chris Westphal
Onyx Wholesale Arvada, Co
(303)940-3580