Success is a complicated thing. Many people view success as power, fame, and wealth. For a long time, I thought so too. But I have realized what success is truly about. I aim to answer all the burning questions the world has to offer about success. What is success? Are there problems that come with success? Is losing okay? As I said before, success is a complicated thing to talk about. Success can be measured in different ways, depending on your opinion. This is my take on success.
I assume that the first question on the minds of many is: What is true success? After much careful thought on this, my answer is as follows. Firstly, real success is not about whether you win or lose. If this is hard to believe for you, take heart in that you are not alone. I am an extremely competitive person. I have thought that what is left on the scoreboard when the clock shows zeros determines whether you won or lost, you were successful or unsuccessful, you lived or you died. I have thought before that if you scored more than another team, you won and you were successful, if you didn’t you were the loser, and therefore, unsuccessful.
This is not what success is. Success is, as John Wooden put it, “Success is a peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction knowing that you did you best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.” Wooden meant that success, winning, for that matter, is about knowing that you did your best. I know it sounds corny, but its true. In fact, Vince Lombardi would be more angry at his team if they did not do their best and won the game rather than if they had played their hearts out and lost.
This quote from Vince Lombardi sums my point up: “You never lose, but sometimes the clock runs out.”
