The Truth Of The Elusiveness Of 'Success'
As the halfway point of 2022 is fast approaching us, many are recalibrating our dreams, goals and desires for the remainder of the year. Depending on where you're at on this journey, I thought I'd share with you a realization I had while speaking with a young woman recently regarding this ideal called 'success'. Although most of us want to achieve ‘success’, very few of us really understand the process and even less realize who you need to become to accomplish it…thus the truth of the elusiveness of success and why so few people ever know it intimately.
Growing up in a family of politicians, the young woman I was speaking with marveled and admired the impact her parents made in their community through political office and found her passion. Having this flame of inspiration lit, she knew from an early age that she was going to follow in her parent’s footsteps in politics and diligently prepared and waited for opportunity to knock. When the opportunity presented itself, she eagerly jumped in with both feet and pursued her lifelong dream with unbridled energy and enthusiasm. Though the hours were long and the work arduous, she had found her calling…until adversity struck.
Caught in the dark underbelly of politics, she found herself in the eye of a political media storm and with seemingly no way out; this gust of challenge blew out her flame to never be ignited again.
While listening to her story, I immediately thought of ‘success’ in politics being measured by election to high-level offices and realized that in order to ascend to those altitudes you would have to endure some serious bouts of private, public and political challenge. Much more than the initial conflict that was strong enough to extinguish her flame…and the reason so few attain it.
The fallacy of ‘success’ for someone who doesn’t understand it is, “it gets easier as you achieve more of it”. For those who have not achieved high levels of ‘success’, increasing levels of accomplishment can appear to create fame, celebrity, fortune, and what looks to be the solution to all their problems.
This could not be further from the truth.
The late and legendary Biggie Smalls said it best when he sang, “More money; more problems”. The truth of success is that though it’s worth it…it gets harder as you go up…not easier. The difference between those who make it and those who don’t, has very little to do with ‘what’ they do but rather ‘who’ they are. The work really lies in building a personal foundation of being stronger than any challenge you will be met with.
The cold and unwavering fact is that with every step up the ladder of success, it will absolutely create more challenges. Your ability to handle each challenge and persevere will distinguish your capability to be successful. The size and the height of your dreams will determine the depth and the strength of the personal foundation you must build first. Without it, like the story of the three little pigs; the big, bad, wolf of challenge will blow your dream out!
This is the truth of the elusiveness of success. Build your foundation deep, strong and be not weary in the process for in due time you shall reap the rewards. Stay committed, steady and most importantly;
Believe…