According to Earl Nightingale’s definition, a success is anyone who is realizing a worthy predetermined ideal.

So a success is the farmer who is growing crops because that’s what he wants to do.

A success is the entrepreneur who starts her own company because that was her dream.

A success is the office manager who wants to become the best manager in the company and pursues that goal.

In his wonderful book, The Magic of Thinking Big, Dr. David Schwartz tells a story about a man who was an exceptionally successful management consultant…

When you walked into this man’s office you felt that you were really “uptown.” The fine furniture, the carpeting, the busy people, the important clients, all told you his company was prosperous.

Behind this prosperous and respected company was the story of a man who lost ten years’ savings in his first six months in business and who lived in his office for several months because he didn’t have money to pay rent on an apartment. A man who turned down numerous “good” jobs because he wanted more to stay with his idea and make it work. A man who heard prospects for his service say no a hundred times as often as they said yes.

This very successful management consultant wasn’t a brilliant man or a wealthy man or a lucky man. He was simply a persistent man who never thought he was defeated—he kept moving toward his goal.

This man didn’t become successful when he could afford fine furniture and carpeting. He was a success the moment he decided to start his business.

And there’s the story Bob’s shares in the video about when he was pole vaulting. He had no idea he was succeeding when he knocked down the bar.

Isn’t this a refreshing way to view success?

Think about it …

No matter how many setbacks you have had or how long it will take to get there, you are a success as long as you know where you are going.

Don’t you just love that?

To more and better,

Sandy Gallagher
CEO/President & Co-Founder
Proctor Gallagher Institute

P.S. If you enjoyed learning this new perspective on success, start hanging out with Bob and me each week as we study and discuss the lessons that have gotten us where we are today. You can sit back, watch and listen, or you can join in on the discussion. Click here for more details on how you can mastermind with us each week.