What is success?

Many people have tried to define success but no single satisfactory definition has been agreed on. This is because whatever constitutes success differs from one individual to the other. Value systems differ for different people depending on their level of education, economic and social backgrounds. But generally speaking, one is successful when he or she is happy and satisfied with whatever achievements he or she has made in life.

In order to achieve any amount of success one needs to first condition his or her mind to achieving success. One must be able to define the elements that constitute success, define goals and objectives and at the same time be able to chart out a path leading to the attainment of these goals and objectives. A journey to nowhere will end nowhere.

Most people have been unable to meet success because they get discouraged and quit when the going gets too tough. To be able to attain one’s goals and be successful certain qualities must prevail, above all courage and determination to see through one's defined goals.

However, there are many reasons why most people fail in life. The most notable causes of failure include:

1. The habit of drifting with circumstances without defined goals, objectives or aims
2. Unfavorable physical or mental condition.
3. The habit of meddling in other people’s affairs and involve in idle gossip, back biting and negative talk about others.
4. Illiteracy- Lack of education and exposure can limit one’s success
5. Lack of discipline exemplified in the habit of excessive drinking, obsession with sex, over eating, vulgarity, etc
6. Lack of a definite career path
7. Lack of ambition leading to complacency with a mediocre and casual life.
8. Sickness and lack of proper health habits and hygiene
9. Hostile environment caused by wars, famine, floods and pestilence.
10. Lack of consistency and the spirit of persistence and perseverance to see through one’s goals.
11. Pessimism and a negative mental attitude which makes one see only the unfavorable side of things
12. Lack of proper emotional control. The habit of being carried away by emotions.
13. Procrastination and indecisiveness- the habit of postponing things and lack of decisiveness on important matters of life.
14. Desire of something for nothing exemplified in the habit of grabbing, gambling, stealing, conning, extorting and a desire to initiate and gain from dirty deals.
15. Excessive fear and lack of a nerve to make an important but challenging decision on matters of career, business or personal life.
16. Lack of concentration and focus on tasks at hand.

17. Over cautions and suspicion in business and professional relationships leading to the habit of not trusting others. Consider a Manager who does everything – balances his books, cooks his own tea, collects mail himself, and drives himself.
18. Lack of proper caution in life which leads to a reckless loss of property and money. Being too simple minded and easily conned – many have lost millions in dubious dealings with conmen. Example: Appending your signatures on documents which you have not properly read and understood. It could lead to loss of money and property to con people.
19. Wrong associates in business, professional and personal life. Associating with the wrong people can damage one’s reputation and credibility.
20. Habit of indiscriminate spending without a budget and lack of discipline in handling money.
21. Unwillingness and inability to forgive and forget one’s past mistakes
22. Lack of tolerance and prejudice – Having a closed mind and ignorance of others religions, racial, political and social affiliations which makes one to make judgments on the basis of stereotypes rather than objectivity.
23. Lack of co-operation. An anti-social behavior inhibits team spirit and hinder achievement of goals that require cooperation and teamwork.
24. Greed for power and wealth based not on merit and hard work but on dishonesty, graft and blackmail.
25. Lack of showing loyalty and respect to those they are due resulting into a spirit of rebelliousness.
26. Habit of forming opinions and judgments based not on concrete information but on hearsy and speculations.
27. Lack of vision and imagination sufficient enough to be able to recognize opportunities and take advantage of them.
28. The desire for revenge for real or imaginary injuries by others.
29. Lack of honesty and integrity in business dealings erodes trust.
30. Lack of taking counsel and advice from the experience of others. This makes one to act on important matters without seeking proper advice.
31. Habit of always criticizing the work of others and never giving a compliment where it is deserved.
32. Habit of borrowing and not repaying debts leads to loss of trust and respect from those owed.
33. Greed for material possessions that one doesn’t actually need.
34. Lack of adequate confidence to see through ones life goals.
35. Alcoholism and drug abuse destroys life
36. The habit of talking too much and listening too little. One misses an opportunity to learn.

Success in business

In order for one to be successful in business there are certain things he or she should observe and do.

One should be able to determine

1. Objectives and goals of the business
2. Activities the business will be engaged in
3. Expected revenue- monthly, quarterly, half yearly or annually.
4. Growth and expansion of the business in terms of size, number of employees, turnover etc
5. Be able to keep records and determine whether the business is making a profit or a loss

For its survival, the business should be able to continue attracting new customers while retaining old ones. Good customer relations is therefore a very important phenomenon in business success.

Employee motivation is also required as no business can grow with demoralized employees. One should therefore try to ensure that employees are happy and proud to be associated with the business.

As the business grows operations become more complex. As such there is need for qualified personnel to assist in the management. Services of an accountant, salesman and personnel officer among others will be needful as the business expands in size and operation.

One has to ensure a good working environment where all people feel well treated. All employees should be treated fairly without any show of favoritism or any kind of discrimination.

As the owner of a business, one should listen and be part of the employees. Listening to their problems and offering them suggestions is a sure way to be connected with them. There needs to be environment of freeness and trust between the business owner the employees.

It is important to organize staff meetings regularly so that one can discuss upcoming matters. It is dangerous to assume that things are running perfectly well because employees are at their places of work.

In order for a small scale business to be successful one need to concentrate on the lines of business that one is knowledgeable and experienced in. Too many lines will make the business go out of control and make one to lose capital in unprofitable ventures.

As a business manager, one should attend seminars regularly to be updated on matters relating to change in the business environment such as change in interest rates, technology, politics and how they affect the business. At the same time it is worthwhile to attend business management courses so that one can be an informed manager.

Start small and watch the business grow. Most of the big business empires of today were born with almost no capital but with a big idea. Some of these companies include.

1. The late Maxwell who created a media empire arrived it Britain from Australia with only a few coins in his pocket. Though he died bankrupt Maxwell built an empire from these coins
2. Akio Morita the founder of the giant Sony Company built his empire from a garage in the ruins of Tokyo after the Second World War. He only read from a newspaper of a discovery of a transistor in America and he went on to change the lives of millions of people with electronics
3. A young clerk used his savings to buy a formula. With his formula he went ahead to build a great multi national company known as Coca cola.
4. Bill Gates the software mogul and the world’s richest man built Microsoft from a small idea of licensing Q-dos and which his co-founder Paul Allen improved to ms-dos. The rest was history.
5. Three businessmen from California, USA living near a port observed that cargo ships moving between west coast and Hawaii Islands wasted a lot of time at the port as the cargo undergoes custom clearance. They thought out that if shipping documents are sent by air and cargo cleared before the ships arrive, the time they spend at the ports could be greatly reduced. In 1969 they founded a business based in this idea and this give birth to DHL which today has offices spread all over the world.

6. A renowned computer dealer Michael Dell the CEO of Dell computers started selling computers while in college. He started from his campus room and today heads a multi-million dollar company bearing his name.

7. Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard had no idea of what to do when they established their company Hewlett and Packard in the 1930s. Their idea was very vague “going into the electronic engineering field” They got into many things which included clock drives for telescopes, urinal flushers and bowling foul-line indicators. Today Hewlett and Packard is a household name in the computer-engineering field and in the high-level technology products.

8. Paul Garvin started out by manufacturing and repairing of battery eliminator for sears radios. This is a humble beginning that give rise to a the giant Motorola Corporation
9. Multi million dollar companies like Google , Yahoo and Facebook started with nothing but the ideas of their founders.

Success in a career

Each one of us wants to be successful in our chosen careers. Our first step should be to identify a career and move on progressively on one’s line of career choice. To be successful in our careers of choice, one should be able to understand that we cannot be everything in life. One cannot be a good lawyer as well as a good accountant, doctor or teacher at the same time. One should be able to identify what he or she can do best and concentrate all energies on excelling in it. A jack-of-all-trades will never be a master of any and one needs a mind of a genius to master and to excel in two careers.

To advance in one’s career, it is important to do the following

§ Attend an evening course to acquire more credentials. The level of education and courses attended are the launching pad for upward mobility and career growth.

§ Read books, articles and magazines and other literature about one’s line of career.

§ Develop positive attitude towards work and always do more than one is paid for.

§ Co-operate with colleagues and be part of a team. Social and leadership skills are essential for career advancement.

§ Be supportive to both juniors and seniors and help them to meet their work targets and objectives. This will create trust and confidence from them, a recipe for upward career mobility.

§ Maintain good image through etiquette and personal grooming. A good image plays an important role in career advancement.

§ Learn to be confident and articulate. One should be able to express himself or herself in meetings or during presentations. This ability could propel one’s career to great heights.

§ Work smart and avoid doing hard work. Hard work is caused by lack of delegating tasks that can be done by junior staff. Imagine the picture of a manager who cleans his car, collects and delivers mails and cooks his tea. Doing hard work will lead to stagnation rather than growth of one’s career.

Success in personal life

Success in one’s personal life stems from personal development. Each new day, one is required to do something that will leave him or her better than yesterday. To obtain success in personal life, one should be able to do the following:

(i) Observe good nutrition and health habits. Lack of discipline in this area can lead to obesity, malnutrition or constant sickness
(ii) Set up personal goals and work consistently towards achieving them.
(iii) Be disciplined on time and do everything at the right time. Spend quality time with family knowing that home and family are the foundation of all types of success.
(iv) Have a positive outlook towards life and see a bright future with new opportunities.
(v) Maintain a good image in the manner of dressing, speaking and in social life.
(vi) Avoid addiction to unfavorable habits such as excess drinking , excessive smoking, gambling or reckless indulgence in sex
(vii) Respect other people and always remember their names. There is nothing more embarrassing than failing to remember the name of someone one has met many times before.

(viii) Read and be motivated by the story of other peoples success.

Important tips on managing Personal finances

§ Always save between 10%to 15% of your income
§ Do not spend without a budget
§ Beware of small expenses- small leak sinks a whole ship
§ Do not spend lavishly. It is easier and sweet to spend but hard and painful to earn.
§ Avoid engaging in a web of debts. Borrowing on easy terms can be dangerous sometimes. High interest will erode your income and savings.
§ Do not gamble with your money. You could lose all your lifetime savings in a minute.
§ Avoid get rich quick schemes. Some of them are only illusionary and will eat up your life time savings. Greed for quick riches can land you into trouble.
§ Invest your money carefully and in legal businesses. Many have lost their money in illicit money making deals which have no legal backing.
§ Set your mind to both acquiring and accumulating. Acquiring only without accumulating will not help you to be financially independent
§ Don’t spend all you earn and don’t lose all you save. Almost everybody knows how to earn money but not many in a million knows how to spend it.

Be motivated by the stories great achievers

Abraham Lincoln, described as an impoverished grocery clerk who once slaughtered hogs for only 30 cents a day, with no more than one year of formal schooling, went ahead to become a renowned lawyer, a distinguished debater and the greatest of all American presidents. Asked how he could achieve such great success given his limited formal schooling and social –economic status, Lincoln answered, “You can become anything that you aspire to be, it is all buried in your mental faculties”

Thomas Edison, the man who invented the electric bulb did more than 5000 experiments before he could make it work. At one time he was asked why he was pursuing an experiment that he has already failed 5000 times. He answered “I have not failed 5000 times but I have discovered 5000 ways that won’t work and if I keep at it I will soon run out of all the ways that won’t work and be left only with the one that works”

Napoleon Bonaparte, the famous French general and conqueror who led France on numerous war victories was quoted as saying “I have succeeded in whatever I have undertaken because I have willed it. I have never hesitated and this is what has given me an advantage over the rest of mankind”.

Everyone has heard the stories of this famous Roman conqueror. Julius Caesar was the ancient Roman Emperor who spread the Roman civilization across Europe. He had a very interesting way of ensuring that his soldiers win every battle. After the last soldier crosses the bridge to the enemy’s land, Caesar would burn the bridge in complete view of his soldiers. When he set off to conquer England, his soldiers crossed the English Channel in warships. On landing in England, Caesar halted his soldiers and burned all the ships they had used to cross the channel in their presence.
In burning the ships in complete view of his soldiers, Julius Caeser gave a very clear message to them. They were in an enemy’s land without any means of retreat. They therefore had to fight and win if they were to survive. The Roman soldiers fought battles of life and they had to win to live.

The story of two kittens

In a small village, a mother cat gave birth to two little identical kittens. The kittens were given same treatment and same attention by the mother cat. One day as the two were playing outside, they came across a mirror, which a girl had left hanging on a wall. One kitten looked at itself in the mirror and saw back and image of a poor, skinny little kitten. When he gave out a cry, it was a frail purr of a little weak kitten. The kitten looked at itself and saw an image of a huge lion and when he cried, the sound came roaring like that of a lion. The image we see looking back at us when we look into a mirror is a reflection of who we think we are.

The eagle story

One day, a farmer who lives near a big forest went to hunt deep in the forest. As he was coming home,he came across an eagle’s nest on a tree branch near the ground. Looking inside the nest, he saw an eagle’s egg and decided to take home to hatch it together with his farmyard chicken. Later, the eagle’s egg hatched together with the chicken in the farm. As usual the chicken went about the business of scratching the ground for worms and seeds.
One day, a gigantic eagle flew over the farmyard and it glided and soared majestically in the skies. The little eaglet saw this and marveled. “ Wow who’s that? I wish I could fly like that ! ” The mother chicken answered “ That is the eagle, the king of the skies. You cannot fly like that. Chickens do not fly”. " Oh really", the eaglet answered. "But I feel in my wings like I am an eagle and not a chicken".

Some words of great wisdom

1. If life hands you a lemon, turn it into lemonade.
2. When a man speaks ill of thee, live as nobody believes him.
3. Never answer an angry word with another angry word; it is the second that makes a quarrel.
4. Goodness is the only investment that never fails.
5. Beauty without grace is like a rose without smell.
6. Intoxication is not the wines mistake, but the man’s
7. We can’t get rid of sorrows in life but we can chose to live in joy
8. Debt is a trap which a man sets, baits himself and catches himself.
9. Give a little love to a child and get a great deal back
10. Hasty climbers may have a sudden fall
11. Height of sophistication is the art of finding the right people to avoid
12. Do you wish men to talk well of you, talk well of them
13. It is when its darkest that stars shine the brightest.
14. The privilege of your lifetime is being who you are
15. Better to fail at something than excel at nothing.
16. Life is a war full of battles, you win some and lose others.

 

In life, everyone has in his possession a block of stone and a set of tools. From it you can either shape a stumbling block or a stepping stone.