What’s success to you? You probably hear the distant nagging of your parents, “The house! The salary! The stocks! Family!”
And the dictionary does back them up by defining success as measured by achievements and prosperity. There are signs of change though, as recognizable successful people define it differently. True success is different from we have always thought it to be – how about that, Mom and Dad?
Okay, tell them that at your own risk. But maybe you can tell them this:
Thomas Edison famously equated his success to “1% and 99% perspiration” and worked for as long as sixty hours to show it.
Billionaire John Paul DeJoria had a simliar definition of true success with the advice to, “Do well when no one is looking.”
Other people such as Barak Obama, Bill Gates, Ariana Huffington, and William Buffet have shared their ideas of success through social impact, joy, wisdom, and even love from friends and family.
If they don’t believe you, cite this groundbreaking study by Professor Carol S. Dweck and colleagues from Stanford University:
Have you heard of The Growth Mindset?
- Successful people have the Growth Mindset. There are two types of mindsets, or approaches to work. The “fixed mindset” is the kind where success is achieved by nurturing talent and keeping scores and track of milestones. But the “growth mindset” is the complete opposite: it’s all about the process and effort it takes to do something.
- Success is a habit. When one has a the growth mindset, success is measured by how hard they try. Athletes such as Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, or Muhammad Ali are examples of this. All three were known for the hours of persistent practice of the sport.
- You love what you do when you have the growth mindset. Since it’s a focus on the process and not the score or number of achievements, it has made people more committed. As Dweck observed, “Many growth-minded people didn’t even plan to go to the top. They got there as a result of doing what they love.”
- You always win in the growth mindset. “The growth mindset allows people to value what they’re doing regardless of outcome.” Dweck wrote. Where one would see failure as a waste, in the growth mindset, it isn’t. It’s in the process, the people, the learning.
Change your mindset by doing this:
- Instill the idea that “needs improvement” does not mean failure.
- Find opportunities in challenges, and replace the word “failure” with “learning”.
- Find your own learning style.
- Stop seeking approval.
- Make a new goal when you accomplish a new goal.
Radical, but hey, no harm in trying it out!
Got your own success stories or your own definition of success? Inspire others by sharing it in the comment space below.
