Wednesday, May 12, 2010

What Defines Success?

Wednesday evening musings...

Have  you thought about what "success" means for you?

Have you watched those people around you who have achieved that same "success" definition?

If you have, what have you learned?  What conclusions have you drawn from those observations?

If they are doing something that you are not doing, why aren't you doing it?

Observing is one of the finest teachers and I have observed many people who have taught me MUCH.

This is what I have observed:

1. Successful people are people who are not afraid of work.  They don't whine and cry - they WORK.

2.  Successful people do not let fear of ANY kind inhibit their efforts or their desires.

3.  Successful people have the capacity to see themselves and their abilities HONESTLY and ACCURATELY.  If you don't recognize that you have a shortcoming, how can you improve it?!  How can you solve the problem if you don't know you have one?!  Even if someone else sees it - that is not enough.  YOU must and DO something about it.

4.  Successful people do not let anything or anybody turn them around.  There is no plan B - even though there CAN be (life happens when you make other plans!)

5.  Successful people BELIEVE and HAVE TO BELIEVE because we are in an unreasonable and unbelievable business.

6.  Successful people can WORK with people.  Can you?  Can you meet people where they are?

7.  Successful people are PLIABLE.  You need more than the capacity to examine yourself - you need to learn to re-examine in order to make the adjustments needed to find what you need and what others need OF you.

8.  Successful people are NOT NEGATIVE.

9.  Successful people are WILLING to take WHATEVER job in NECESSARY to further their craft, their reputation and their artistic development.  Being an "opera singer" and working at Macy's and never singing, isn't being an opera singer.  It's working at Macy's.  Sometimes you have to sing in the chorus for awhile, or something else that may seem "unworthy" of you in order to development relationships in the business, and the like.  Does the job degrade you, or do YOU degrade the job????

10.  Successful people  stay thirsty and stay hungry no matter how full they are in the moment.

and to finish...

 Successful people find a way to do something for their CRAFT and for their CAREER EVERY SINGLE DAY.

Where are you?  Where do you need to be?
GO GET IT!

1 comment:

  1. I love all of your advice, particularly #9. I am always surprised when I encounter people who are ready to work a job completely unrelated from what they want to do, but not willing to work a job close but not quite what they want to do. For example, a lot of opera singers working at Starbucks, but not auditioning for musical theatre, or for Disneyworld shows, or cruises, etc. They are so many opportunities to get experience that will directly transfer to what it is they want to do. I wrote a post on that topic: http://geraldineinabottle.blogspot.com/2010/05/best-advice-i-was-ever-given.html
    Thanks for all your great ideas!

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