I think often about these two topics because they are such an integral part of conversation and peoples’ lives. Each of us desires a measure of success – however defined – in our lives and some more than others. That is normal; we are all different.
With fewer options and a weak economy, success is increasingly more elusive. Our desire is not diminished, just prospects for achieving it.
Failure is often perceived as the corollary to a lack of success. But, is failure the end result for achieving less than you wished? We often root ourselves in definitions that can and do mislead that often set us up to believe that we have succeeded or failed. Each term is emotionally and psychologically linked to expectations we have of ourselves and others may have of us.
If our definitions of success and failure do not permit some flexibility, if they are so narrowly defined we trap ourselves within very narrow parameters of measurement, we unwittingly become the victim.
Debating the two terms may also undermine motivation and stifle inspiration. It is perhaps more useful to look at the qualities of the top performers and see how we stack up. What do they do that I do not?
Your purpose is to move beyond the limits of terms and focus on more tangible attributes, behavior. I think if you do, you offer yourself a more accurate standard of measurement than you would if you did not succeed in attaining a more narrow measurement of success: $70,000 in sales rather than $100,000.
