Am I “Successful?” — Results Inspire Motivation
Setting smaller, more easily achieved, goals can set the stage for steady progress. Steady progress, more often than not, is the key to long term success.
I would love to win the “big prize.” You know what I mean — the Olympic Gold, the Nobel Prize, the top spot on the New York Times Bestsellers List, the largest ever lottery prize — oh, the list is long and mighty.
The fantasy is great. The reality, the struggle, the effort involved — well, that certainly puts me back in my place.
You see, by my own honest admission, I’m a rather ordinary, typical, not-over-the-top spectacular specimen of humanity.
Oh, I’ve managed to hold it all together pretty well in life. I’m a responsible citizen. I’ve paid my dues in terms of a sound education, steady employment and devotion to my family. I pay my taxes, vote in every election and donate to the charities of my choice.
But, I have dreams. I have goals. I have fantastical goals (refer back to the “big prize” list in the first paragraph). Like the majority of struggling human beings, I probably want more than I have.
I’m realistic enough to have some idea of what it takes in terms of time and effort to achieve those goals. I’ve seen the stats. I’ve read autobiographies. I know that every goal comes at a price.
That knowledge can really take its toll on my internal motivation.
When goals look like Mt. Everest on the horizon it can be hard to wake up each morning and face the monolith in front of me.
And so, in order to keep my head from exploding as I carry out my daily rituals of life, I’ve learned a very important lesson:
“Success breeds success.” (A quote attributed to American Soccer player Mia Hamm)
Success isn’t always about achieving the big picture. At least not immediately. Success comes in incremental snapshots. It’s like finding one small piece in a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle. Each piece brings you closer to completing the goal. Each magical find motivates you to keep searching — to find the next piece of the puzzle — to watch the end result take shape inch by inch.
As a child, I remember watching the Winter Olympics one year and staring in amazement at the figure skaters. I informed my mother that I wanted to join their ranks on the podium and accept a coveted Olympic medal someday.
My mother informed me that I was probably already too old to start training for such a monumental goal and that, regardless of my personal desires, the family finances could never support my pie-in-the-sky aspiration.
Add to this the fact that my slightly turned in right knee would preclude any hope of landing a double axel (or any other essential jump, turn or twist required to qualify for inclusion on any competitive team).
And so, my physical fitness aspirations ratcheted down to a level commensurate with my modest abilities. Today, I am more than happy to clock twenty sessions a month on my indoor bike. I get acceptable results and that, in turn, provides the motivation I need to achieve success on my level — which is, basically, good health and physical fitness.
While I might still hold strong to the potential New York Times Bestsellers List fantasy, I have to admit my current writing consists of more modest projects that don’t typically lend themselves to grand recognition and big-ticket payoffs.
For me, at this point in time, writing is its own reward. As long as I see it that way, I am motivated to put fingers to keyboard on a regular basis. I am personally rewarded for my efforts on a consistent basis — and, on occasion, with a deposit in my bank account.
These results allow me to enjoy the wordplay of writing in my mind — and to amaze myself (if no others) with my random “stroke of genius” (my words, not an official declaration of my talent) when I build a sentence that resonates.
In the long run, success must be defined on an individual basis. I’m sure Olympic superstars would shrug and walk away from me and my modest fitness efforts. And, to be sure, I’m nowhere near impressive enough to attract the attention of the Nobel Prize committee.
My lottery aspirations will likely fall flat because, as they say — “You’ve got to play to win” — and, well, I’ve pretty much come to the conclusion that my road to riches is paved with hard work, semi-frugal savings and a bit of wise investing. I might indulge in a lottery ticket or two once or twice a year — not exactly a recipe for success.
If I haven’t yet impressed my readers, that’s okay. I’ve made my point. My success is measured by my personal life satisfaction. In the long run, I suspect I might be happier than many of the more “successful” achievers who, despite monumental sacrifices, have actually reached some superstar status — and have to live with the ultimate costs.
The clock continues to tick on the hours of my life. I actually have more “big prize” ambitions now than I did at any point in my past. The reason for that is pretty simple, I believe.
There is just so much more to strive for — so many more exciting goals to achieve — so many more roads to travel.
I still want to dabble in so many areas of life. I want to see the world. I want to taste the exotic flavors. I want to give something back to my world that will make my brief presence here significant.
For me, that is the real meaning of life — and of being excited about the prospect of living that life.
Will I ever reach a pinnacle in any area of life?
Maybe not. Okay, probably not. But, I’m okay with that. As long as I move forward, an inch at a time, in any endeavor I undertake, I believe, in my heart of hearts, that I am succeeding.
Every small victory motivates me to wake up each day and give another little push.
Honestly, I am further ahead in life than I ever really expected to be at any prior stage of my life. I have already risen to the top 2% of humanity’s population if you take into consideration just how difficult human survival has been since the time of the caveman.
Yes, I feel safe in calling myself a “success.” I see accomplishment in most days of living. Results lead me forward — the definition of motivation in my book.
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