Everyone wants to be successful. But what does that mean? How do you know when you have achieved true success?
I’ll never forget a trip I took several years ago to interview some potential engineers. We flew in a private plane, a major improvement over driving. It felt good to arrive in the morning and complete the interviews, knowing I would be back at home that same afternoon. That is, until we started to leave.
There was a plane taking off ahead of us: a private jet. They only needed about half the runway to take off; we needed every foot of it. I remember thinking how much better it would be if we only had a jet.
Not long afterwards, I moved to a better position with a different company. We had a jet. I felt I had arrived.
That is, until one day we were in Florida getting ready to fly home. We were delayed due to a thunderstorm, and we had to wait it out at the airport. It was a small airport, and there were several other private jet owners and pilots waiting out the storm. I overheard our pilot speaking with another about how nice his jet was compared to ours. I could sense some jet envy in the air.
It wasn’t long before I was looking at other jets wishing ours was bigger and faster, with more luxurious leather seats.
Just when I thought I had reached the darkest shade of jet envy green, I heard an elderly lady asking her pilot which jet they were taking that day. He replied, “Well, it’s such a short trip, I thought we would take the small jet.” I finally realized there was no end in sight.
First, I felt good about flying rather than driving. Then I wanted to upgrade to a jet. On my first trip in the private jet, I wished for a nicer jet. Then I was envious to hear that someone had a choice between two jets.
Every time I got what I wanted, it quickly became not good enough. My definition of success was refutable. It was based on possession.
Irrefutable Success is different. It is defined as being in a continual state of doing the absolute best I can, with what I have, in order to have a positive influence on other people. That is the kind of success that pays huge dividends in your life.
We all have positive and negative influences on each other, whether we know it or not. It’s only when we are intentional about having a positive influence that we shift the pendulum away from the negative. The outcome is nothing short of miraculous.
Today, I measure success by the quality of impact I have on those around me, and not by the quality of leather seats on a private jet. I’d rather drive, anyway.
Are you experiencing the miraculous sensation of Irrefutable Success in your life and work? Do you believe it’s possible?
No related posts.
Tags: Envy, Influence, Irrefutable Success
You never know what impact you have on another person with just your smile, your handshake or even 10 minutes of undivided attention. Receiving those simple things from others have had more impact on me than anything extremely luxurious or expensive that I’ve ever received or done. Deliberately shifting my attention away from myself and placing my attention and time towards other people is what has helped to bring significance to my own life. Great article Tim! Thanks for being my coach!
Irrefutably, a wonderful insight in to the importance of operating from within rather than from WITHOUT and in doing so unleashing the unlimited qualities of who we really are. In properous times, it is easy to build what lies in our pockets, but in tougher times, we tend to build what is in our hearts. To me, irrefutable success is about building the latter in both good and bad times knowing the rest will take care of itself because it is no longer all about “what’s in it for me” it’s about being a true steward of people.
Thank you for your kind words Dawn. Being your coach is certainly my pleasure! There is no doubt that you have significance in your life. Your deliberate shift of attention brought about even greater significance.
“Within” is where it all starts Sandi. It is first of all a HEART issue. You are right about unleashing the unlimited qualities of who we really are.
Wow. The first word that came to mind when I first read your blog. If only everyone could grasp the wisdom shared in this small entry, we could truly see how successful we are/could be. Thank you for this new perspective on life. To say that it is life changing would be a huge understatement.
Thanks for your kind words. The thought of Irrefutable Success has certainly caused some changes in my life. It makes me look at things with a different perspective.
Hi Tim — Great post and definition of success. It is so important to have this perspective not matter where you are on the corporate ladder or if you are small business owner.
I’m excited to read your blog and stay connected.
Dan
Thanks Dan. I’m actually finishing up on a book that centers on Irrefutable Success. My publisher told me that they plan to release it in the Fall.
Love these thoughts, Tim! And what a burden it takes off of a person– to not be constantly trying to “measure up” to someone else’s standards, but just being in that “.….continual state of doing the absolute best I can, with what I have, in order to have a positive influence on other people”.
Oh — This describes YOU, Tim!
Thanks for all you do — you have an incredibly positive influence on many, many people!
Thanks for your kind words Louise.
Very powerful! I hate to say it, but the first thing that came to mind is my church. With the help of a professional coach, we are going through a church Refocus Program. Throughout the whole process, everyone involved has had the mindset of, maybe our facilities are inadequate for what we are hoping to accomplish through our refocus efforts. Made me step back and rethink that just a bit.
Thank you Tim for the insightful words, this will be a “must share” for our entire refocus group.
As for me and my business…..I’ll know I have “arrived”, when I can afford the jet! Just kidding.
Thanks for your kind words about the post… but don’t kid around about “the jet” Mike. I actually have a client with some skin in the game on that one. When he gets to a certain level in his business, he is flying from the West Coast in a private jet to pick me (and my family) up, and we are going to some resort in Florida. AT the rate he is going, I better pack my bags.
Hey Tim,
This story is so much fun and memorable that I’ve already told it to a couple of people — great message!
J.
Thanks Julie. Please feel free to share anything on this blog. It would also be cool to share with people that they can easily subscribe. They will just get an e-mail with each Wednesday and Friday post.
A great story brother. Keep them coming…
Great story Brother. Keep them coming.
Love the post Tim. Thanks for keeping us on track.
Thanks David. Glad you liked the article. There are several others posted on this site: http://www.irrefutablesuccess.com
Let me know what you think if you get a chance to read any of the others.