"Success is always temporary.
When it is all said and done,
the only thing you'll have left
is your character."
--Vince Gill
Society today determines "success" according to external and personal values. For human beings "judging a book by its cover" is a natural process and what you see, with your five senses, is often interpreted as reality or truth. Unfortunately, though, when you evaluate success using this criterion you are only scratching the surface.
Now, there is nothing wrong with material or external symbols of success. But the value, or measure of success, determined by our possessions is really a personal opinion. We place the value of our success on these items. An expensive sports car, or boat, has no real value on its own. The value comes from the symbol in which we want it to represent, or measure of success we want others to see that it portrays. When our "success" gets out of control then these symbols, or expressions of our success, are often illusions. Illusions are all too often the cause of frustration, anger, pain and lack of depth and soul that we see in the world today.
Let's turn the focus and root of success inward. Success is not what happens on the outside, but it is something that comes from within. Our real value, or spiritual successfulness, is the source of all that we are or have become. It is our true potential or the higher part of ourselves that makes us truly successful. Spiritual successfulness does not need outward symbols or possessions. It comes from "within" us and not "outside" of ourselves.
If you go about your life attempting to replace that which comes from within you, that spiritual part of yourself, with external symbols or possessions, we will never feel fulfilled or successful, no matter what you do. You will need to constantly replace, upgrade or "go to the next level." You will always want more because you have not tapped into the source of true happiness. Therefore, just as Vince Gill spoke of in the quote above, your success will be an illusion and only something temporary.
So, the definition of true success is that it is none other than the simple ability to connect with the "you" within. Nothing more and nothing less, that's all there is to it. True success is achieved when you strive to continually reach your highest spiritual potential. Real success is how you are inside rather than how successful you appear outside of your inner self.
Copyright M. A. Webb 2005. All Rights Reserved
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