Definition of Success

Just about everyone in life wants to be successful, to be a success. But what does it mean to be a "successful person?" It'd be good to know this before you set out to become one, you know? So I've been thinking about it, and this is what I've come up with so far: a formula-

EFFORT + ATTITUDE + PURPOSE + BELIEF = SUCCESS

To define what I mean by each:

EFFORT- working hard, efficiently, & smartly
ATTITUDE- having a positive approach, a healthy mind-set, being agreeable to work with, etc
PURPOSE- what you're doing/trying to accomplish
BELIEF- believing that it will all work out, so being persistant, dedicated, not giving up during rough times, having conviction


It's possible to have any combination of these ingredients, but I'm thinking that all of them together are necessary. For example-

ATTITUDE + PURPOSE + BELIEF, but no/bad EFFORT
you have a good attitude & conviction towards a good purpose, but you're a lazy butt and don't try/work hard enough

PURPOSE + BELIEF + EFFORT, but no/bad ATTITUDE
You have a good goal, you believe in it, and you work hard at it, but you're miserable, disagreeable, negative in your approach

EFFORT + ATTITUDE + PURPOSE, but no/bad BELIEF
You try hard & carry a great attitude towards a noble purpose, but you don't really believe that it'll all work out

EFFORT + ATTITUDE + BELIEF, but no/bad PURPOSE
Take Hitler for this example- he probably tried really hard, had a productive manner & approach, and believed in his ambitions, but what for? A horrible goal of killing millions of people. That's why he's not considered a successful person, not just b/c he "failed" in that he was killed.

What do you all think of this? Would you change or add anything? Obviously "success" is a subjective thing, but once again, I think one should have an idea of what it is before they set out to attain it...

Thank you Doctor Phil. In my opinion you're about right there...though success can be relative....ive seen people be lazy fucks and get rich.

Great approach there, bullsfan.

Good to hear from you gain, BTW.

From personal experience, I would rate these commodities/traits in the following order of importance.


BELIEF: That's where it all begins. The human mind is a masterful weapon, able to perform the most amazing feats, but it needs to be fed with a specific sort of fuel. CONFIDENCE. Even if it is not supported by facts, being confident will bring about purpose, will bring about attitude and will bring about effort.

The rest of the traits you mentioned do their part , but only get you up to aboput 70% or so if BELIEF is not dictating your actions.

sounds pretty much like my management class although it has more traits than that though

What success is dependent on is what you feel is succesful. If you are fine with living like a slob all your life who's to say you're not succesful. Goalsetting and goalachieving is what creates the feeling of success in most people. Mind you most people barely set any clear goals, and most don't reach success as a result.

Attitude, belief, purpose and belief are just a few elements that are shared by most succesful people, but possessing all these elements doesnt amount to succes. You can't define succes by adding traits together. A lot of famous painters are never pleased with their work yet they yield high amounts of respect and admiration. In the public's eye they are succesful. What happens even more, painters die and their work only gets popular after that. A lot of famous painters were very poor and led miserable unhappy lives, were they unsuccesful?

2pac is a legend now, and he gained most of his succes after his death. He managed to achieve a lot, but he also made many mistakes. Some hate him, and there's always going to be people that do or don't admire his work. From his own point of view, he led a bad life, was basicly criminal, but he managed to get rich and use his talent. In the end he got shot. So was he succesful? Also take into account that if you we're saying those four traits were the keys to succes, that wouldnt explain why somebody like 2pac could achieve succes and many many other people in his surroundings wouldn't. What set him apart from the rest, was talent and opportunities.

All in all succes is very relative. You can't measure succes unless you realize what you have achieved and you feel it's significant. One way of doing that is setting goals and having integrity. Most people don't even realize they are succesful yet they should be quite proud of what they have done. Most people never set goals and therefore don't have anything to measure succes with. Regretfully success is usually measured in money.

I feel, if you really want to achieve big things, crucial elements are discipline, courage and vision.

BELIEF: That's where it all begins. The human mind is a masterful weapon, able to perform the most amazing feats, but it needs to be fed with a specific sort of fuel. CONFIDENCE. Even if it is not supported by facts, being confident will bring about purpose, will bring about attitude and will bring about effort.

To make this more complete:

The mind is a very powerful weapon, but you have to master it. You can have all the confidence in the world. To bring forth big things one must first start with setting good habits. If you're really interested in this,
read up on Covey's 7 habits of highly effective people.

Ask yourself this question, do your habits empower you or are you a slave of your habits?

Thank you Doctor Phil. In my opinion you're about right there...though success can be relative....ive seen people be lazy fucks and get rich.

but though they're rich, are they successful? Are those two always related?

Great approach there, bullsfan.

Good to hear from you gain, BTW.

From personal experience, I would rate these commodities/traits in the following order of importance.


BELIEF: That's where it all begins. The human mind is a masterful weapon, able to perform the most amazing feats, but it needs to be fed with a specific sort of fuel. CONFIDENCE. Even if it is not supported by facts, being confident will bring about purpose, will bring about attitude and will bring about effort.

The rest of the traits you mentioned do their part , but only get you up to aboput 70% or so if BELIEF is not dictating your actions.

good hearing from you too again Dweaver. Don't you think confidence and belief go together? And how do you say confidence brings upon purpose? Isn't it the other way around?

Ripper- great thoughts. I guess this all depends on WHO is the judge of success/failure.

The mind is a very powerful weapon, but you have to master it.

I do not believe that 'we' exist beyond our mind. In the final analysis, the brain is not a weapon, it is who we are. So we cannot master that which is us, as a whole. In a different phrasing, do not ask of the brain to ynderstand the brain, its' purpose is mostly to look outwards , not inwards, much like the eyes.

You can have all the confidence in the world. To bring forth big things one must first start with setting good habits.

True, in part. You would not possibly have all the confidence in the world if your habits prevented things from going your way. Winning against your own inadequacies and defficiencies brings about confidence and is also the direct result of it. So it's all about what you believe in the very end, for what is inside your mind is the entirety of the world that concerns you. And it's unlimitedly expandable, to boot...

If you're really interested in this,
read up on Covey's 7 habits of highly effective people.

I'd rather listen to Jimmy's 'Purple Haze' for spiritual enlightenment, trying to avoid the drug use, ofcourse...

Ask yourself this question, do your habits empower you or are you a slave of your habits?

I cannot answer that. I am my habits... The mere fact that I contemplate now on this question is a habit of mine. So that leads nowhere...

but though they're rich, are they successful? Are those two always related?

Socially succesful, they are. Succesful in the quarters of their own minds, well, it depends on that ever-elluding definition of success. One thing is always true: You can never fully fool yourself.If you're not happy, you know it. Maybe you can hide it from others, but it's still eating your core... Man has a direct link to his own personal truth. If he chooses to follow that link, he will be happy. If he chooses to willingly turn away from it, then he will suffer inside. There is nothing in life more true than that, my friends...

good hearing from you too again Dweaver. Don't you think confidence and belief go together? And how do you say confidence brings upon purpose? Isn't it the other way around?

As I said, I do believe that there is a certain order in the way we do things and their purpose. Do people want to be confident so that they can achieve their purposes, or want to achive their purposes so that they can be happier, as a result of increased confidence??? I believe the latter.

I guess this all depends on WHO is the judge of success/failure.

Only the self, methinks.

Nice ideas and discussions

Personally, I've always followed the Michael Jordan quote of, "Hard work and determination brings success," and while that might not always be true, through the failures, there will be some sort of success. If one can be hard working, there's the attitude and ability to reach at a goal, but combine that with determination, you have confidence, a positive outlook, and a stubborness to achieve even through failures. It's all about putting your mind to something, taking a risk, and attempting to reach that goal. You might not make it, but you'll get somewhere... and for some reason, "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" popped into my head

Where the hell is ability or money or personal connections? I'm sorry, but the 1% perspiration and 99% inspiration shit that Edison says is usually bullshit. What percentage of the people in this world are truly successful? Sure effort is a big part, but you need ability, money, connections or whatever to succeed in this world, which is even more true nowadays. What are the chances of going from rags to riches? Very very slim. You need money to make money. You need money to make happiness. I think all these myths about "if you try your best you will succeed" are just stories to encourage those that are poor or without ability. The fact is some people are born better than others, whether it be ability, money or connections or whatever. They have such an advantadge that it is difficult for you to make such a leap. I'd like to believe in this lie once again, but my experiences tell me that they're just myths. Myths made to believe that there is infinite upward mobility in this world, or that we're free or whatever.

How did I come to think like this? When I was teaching in the poorest shanty town (I would say slums, but supposedly that's the wrong term.) in Brazil, I found those who worked hard all day and went to night school to study, and studied on Saturday to go to my classes to learn English. There were students of mine who were probably a thousand times smarter than me, and probably tried a thousand times harder than me, but the chances for them to even escape from their fate is dim. I guess those stories do give those kids hope, but I can't help but feel sad when a kid who could have gone to an American college with a full scholarship is forced to stay because he needs to help out his family since they were that poor. He had all the factors didn't he? Then why can't he succeed?

Sorry to go out on a rant like this. Maybe I just can't think positive anymore.

"Get Rich or Die Tryin'" popped into my head

If that pertains to rappers, then "Get Dead or Rich Trying" would be a more suitable motto...

It's all about putting your mind to something, taking a risk, and attempting to reach that goal. You might not make it, but you'll get somewhere...

I'll quote the great Frankie on this, and this sums up my opinions on the subject of 'success' fully:

And now, the end is here
And so I face the final curtain
My friend, I'll say it clear
I'll state my case, of which I'm certain
I've lived a life that's full
I traveled each and ev'ry highway
And more, much more than this, I did it my way

Regrets, I've had a few
But then again, too few to mention
I did what I had to do and saw it through without exemption
I planned each charted course, each careful step along the byway
And more, much more than this, I did it my way

Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew
But through it all, when there was doubt
I ate it up and spit it out
I faced it all and I stood tall and did it my way

I've loved, I've laughed and cried
I've had my fill, my share of losing
And now, as tears subside, I find it all so amusing
To think I did all that
And may I say, not in a shy way,
"Oh, no, oh, no, not me, I did it my way"

For what is a man, what has he got?
If not himself, then he has naught
To say the things he truly feels and not the words of one who kneels
The record shows I took the blows and did it my way!


Yes, it was my way

My definition of success is asking people on an internet forum what their definition of success is.

My definition of success is asking people on an internet forum what their definition of success is.

That's more like the drunken definition of success... j/k

My definition of success in life is being filthy rich, living in a pure gold mansion surrounded by a bunch of scantily clad women.

My definition of success in life is being filthy rich, living in a pure gold mansion surrounded by a bunch of scantily clad women.

Ditto.

The only way you can be successful is if you set goals. Those you don't set goals aren't succesful because they don't have anything to gauge what is successful or not.

Everyone has their own definition or idea of success. Some people would call it a success to have a simple life with a fun job and a family. Others would say they want to be rich and be famous. It's different for each person.

My definition of success in life is being filthy rich, living in a pure gold mansion surrounded by a bunch of scantily clad women.

I'd probably go with that one too at the moment.

I agree with Riot, everyone's definition of success is different.

I prefer small, tiny goals to be success. Like cleaning my room, that's a success to me. Doing small practices like that would hopefully teach me to set bigger goals and earning them.

But i'm a lazy fuck

My definition of success is asking people on an internet forum what their definition of success is.

My definition of success in life is being filthy rich, living in a pure gold mansion surrounded by a bunch of scantily clad women.

I have to agree with you two philosophers...no sarcasm.

My definition of success in life is being filthy rich, living in a pure gold mansion surrounded by a bunch of scantily clad women.

I thought you were Andrew for a second.

My definition of success in life is being filthy rich, living in a pure gold mansion surrounded by a bunch of scantily clad women.

And within a year you'd be so bored of everyone sucking up on you, that you'd be into drugs.

My definition of success in life is being filthy rich, living in a pure gold mansion surrounded by a bunch of scantily clad women.

Same here except that I also want a solid gold toilet.

And that pic of Kent Brockman blinging it, is sweet.

Where the hell is ability or money or personal connections? I'm sorry, but the 1% perspiration and 99% inspiration shit that Edison says is usually bullshit. What percentage of the people in this world are truly successful? Sure effort is a big part, but you need ability, money, connections or whatever to succeed in this world, which is even more true nowadays. What are the chances of going from rags to riches? Very very slim. You need money to make money. You need money to make happiness. I think all these myths about "if you try your best you will succeed" are just stories to encourage those that are poor or without ability. The fact is some people are born better than others, whether it be ability, money or connections or whatever. They have such an advantadge that it is difficult for you to make such a leap. I'd like to believe in this lie once again, but my experiences tell me that they're just myths. Myths made to believe that there is infinite upward mobility in this world, or that we're free or whatever.

How did I come to think like this? When I was teaching in the poorest shanty town (I would say slums, but supposedly that's the wrong term.) in Brazil, I found those who worked hard all day and went to night school to study, and studied on Saturday to go to my classes to learn English. There were students of mine who were probably a thousand times smarter than me, and probably tried a thousand times harder than me, but the chances for them to even escape from their fate is dim. I guess those stories do give those kids hope, but I can't help but feel sad when a kid who could have gone to an American college with a full scholarship is forced to stay because he needs to help out his family since they were that poor. He had all the factors didn't he? Then why can't he succeed?

Sorry to go out on a rant like this. Maybe I just can't think positive anymore.

I know what you're saying here, Bang, but this all depends on what you call success. I think that for anyone, success is going to be the same RELATIVE measure, according to different factors like wealth, mental ability, emotional makeup, life hardships, etc. "To whomsoever much has been given, of him much shall be required."

For example, say a poor widow raises 3 children to one day all become self-reliant and all good people? That's not successful? How many people with all the gold, diamonds, and scantily clad women, if put in that situation, would get the same result?

IMO, there's success is waaaay more complicated than money.

D-Weaver- "I did it my way" means little in regards to success if it all is for a bad purpose. I could see Hitler or somebody like that singing that song before their dark end...

I believe in God, that's just me. So I think that God is the judgor of success in the end. The criteria is hard to nail down, for sure, but I think that everyone has an equal opportunity to be successful with God. That doesn't happen when the world is the judge, or when money is the criteria...