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be failure to one person could be success to another.</b></p><p id="c4ff">Those who “thought and never did” failed because they never acted. But by whose standards? You could say their inability to act caused them to fail if they judged success in this way.</p><p id="4ad9">Those who “did and never thought” may have only failed in the eyes of the observer and not to themselves. They acted but without thought which often leads to failure.</p><h2 id="01fb">The formula for success</h2><p id="c467">Salak’s quote clearly points out the pathway to success. The two in the quote simply attempted to use half of the equation.</p><ul><li>Thought + inaction = failure</li><li>Action + thoughtlessness = failure</li></ul><p id="47cd">Therefore</p><ul><li>Thought + action = success</li></ul><p id="9b26">Could success be as simple as that? Why not? Doesn’t it make sense that people who are thoughtful and act will eventually be successful? But they could fail as well, couldn’t they? This is where the formula could be slightly modified:</p><ul><li>Thought + action + learning from failure = success</li></ul><blockquote id="e4bf"><p>“Create your own tomorrows with your thoughts and actions — today.” Catherine DeVrye</p></blockquote><p id="17f4">In reality, we know it takes a bit more than those three things to succeed. Let’s expand the formula a bit to make it more realistic as follows:</p><ul><li>Thought + action + learning from failure + determination and perseverance = success</li></ul><p id="a9a6">When you add determination and perseverance, you will achieve success more often than not. To see how determination and perseverance fit in, check out this article <a href="https://readmedium.com/ensure-your-success-99-of-the-time-by-using-two-common-qualities-41a6892bfd84?source=friends_link&sk=3163ac95cc5111f782864fb0e2b6f18f"><i>Ensure Your Success 99% of the Time by Using Two Common Qualities</i></a>.</p><p id="6224">History and experience teach us this final formula is the way to succeed in anything you put to your mind.</p><h2 id="87a8">Final words</h2><p id="c69c">Why is it a universal need for practically every man and woman to want success — success as defined by us, not others. After all, success is as individual as we are, so its definition is ultimately our own.</p><p id="a686">Could it be that success makes us happy? Yes, it makes us feel good about ourselves, good about accomplishing something, good about contributing to the world. It would seem happiness and success are inextricably linked. As a wise man once said about happiness, which also applies to success:</p><blockquote id="9

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bc1"><p>“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” Mahatma Gandhi</p></blockquote><p id="56fb">Some questions to ask yourself about your life include:</p><ul><li>What do I want in life?</li><li>How do I describe success and happiness in my life?</li><li>Are my thoughts and actions aligned?</li><li>Do I possess the determination and perseverance needed to achieve what I want?</li></ul><p id="deef">Give some thought to these questions. The answers will put you far ahead of the average person, especially when you decide to follow up with action, determination, and perseverance!</p><p id="67b8"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamabbate/">LinkedIn</a> |<a href="https://twitter.com/wabbate">Twitter</a>| <a href="https://medium.com/@BillAbbate">Medium</a>| <a href="http://billabbate.com/">UncommonSense</a>| <a href="http://www.amazon.com/author/billabbate">AmazonAuthorPage</a></p><p id="a425"><a href="https://readmedium.com/d5b8d684dcbc?source=post_page-----834577ca2b4a----------------------">Bill Abbate</a> Leadership Writer and Editor in <a href="https://medium.com/illumination">ILLUMINATION</a></p><p id="6c90">Thank you for reading this article! If you enjoyed it, I’m sure you will like the others below.</p><div id="84fd" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/how-can-you-find-ways-to-improve-in-your-life-and-career-4f7c0e3ac62b"> <div> <div> <h2>How Can You Find Ways to Improve in Your Life and Career?</h2> <div><h3>Are you keeping up or getting ahead in your life and career?</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*cIyLN6YR5ewiUbyFcJOFRw.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="5493" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/ensure-your-success-99-of-the-time-by-using-two-common-qualities-41a6892bfd84"> <div> <div> <h2>Ensure Your Success 99% of the Time by Using Two Common Qualities</h2> <div><h3>How to use two well-known qualities to gain success in your life</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*9rwMcu4nzIm14TARM0zfnQ.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

Leadership | Life

How to Make Sense of the Formula for Success

Turning away from failure and toward success in life

Is it possible to become successful and never experience failure? I have never heard of anyone doing it, but surely there must be someone in this vast world who did not experience failure yet succeeded.

I think I can speak for the rest of us; if we achieve even the least amount of success, we must go through some trials and failures. Of course, this whole discussion depends on how you define success.

How do you define success? Have you noticed real success is always on the other side of a struggle or failure of some type, regardless of how significant the success is?

Two classes of failures

The truth is that some try to succeed without giving it much thought, and others think about it but never act. The following quote describes this almost perfectly.

“Failures are divided into two classes — those who thought and never did, and those who did and never thought.” John Charles Salak

The only issue I have with this quote is the judgment of the two classes as failures. There must be a few who have no desire to succeed, and we know some deny themselves any form of “success.” Don’t monks think this way? Yet even monks have hierarchy and order, so are they entirely immune to some desire for success?

Could the two classes in the quote fear failure or perhaps never think about success as typically defined by status, money, possessions, or appearance.

“Everything you want is on the other side of fear.” Jack Canfield

Unless you live the life of a monk, I don’t know how anyone in this modern world could not aspire to at least a modicum of success and wish to avoid failure.

Then again, I am assuming the opposite of failure is success, but is that true? Well, yes, it is. Again, what you consider a failure depends on how you define success, doesn’t it? What may be failure to one person could be success to another.

Those who “thought and never did” failed because they never acted. But by whose standards? You could say their inability to act caused them to fail if they judged success in this way.

Those who “did and never thought” may have only failed in the eyes of the observer and not to themselves. They acted but without thought which often leads to failure.

The formula for success

Salak’s quote clearly points out the pathway to success. The two in the quote simply attempted to use half of the equation.

Thought + inaction = failure
Action + thoughtlessness = failure

Therefore

Thought + action = success

Could success be as simple as that? Why not? Doesn’t it make sense that people who are thoughtful and act will eventually be successful? But they could fail as well, couldn’t they? This is where the formula could be slightly modified:

Thought + action + learning from failure = success

“Create your own tomorrows with your thoughts and actions — today.” Catherine DeVrye

In reality, we know it takes a bit more than those three things to succeed. Let’s expand the formula a bit to make it more realistic as follows:

Thought + action + learning from failure + determination and perseverance = success

When you add determination and perseverance, you will achieve success more often than not. To see how determination and perseverance fit in, check out this article Ensure Your Success 99% of the Time by Using Two Common Qualities.

History and experience teach us this final formula is the way to succeed in anything you put to your mind.

Final words

Why is it a universal need for practically every man and woman to want success — success as defined by us, not others. After all, success is as individual as we are, so its definition is ultimately our own.

Could it be that success makes us happy? Yes, it makes us feel good about ourselves, good about accomplishing something, good about contributing to the world. It would seem happiness and success are inextricably linked. As a wise man once said about happiness, which also applies to success:

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” Mahatma Gandhi

Some questions to ask yourself about your life include:

What do I want in life?
How do I describe success and happiness in my life?
Are my thoughts and actions aligned?
Do I possess the determination and perseverance needed to achieve what I want?

Give some thought to these questions. The answers will put you far ahead of the average person, especially when you decide to follow up with action, determination, and perseverance!

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Bill Abbate Leadership Writer and Editor in ILLUMINATION

Thank you for reading this article! If you enjoyed it, I’m sure you will like the others below.