Elusive Success . . .

Success. For centuries, philosophers from Plato to Kant clear down to our contemporaries have pondered, argued, kicked around, and bandied about this seemingly innocent, common, seven-letter word. The more effort they have made to pin it down, to attach a concrete definition to it, the more elusive it has seemed. They and others have written volumes about the subject, much of which has been recorded in the Great Books of the Western World where success is listed as one of the "102 Great Ideas."

Much effort has been made in contemporary times to pull this "Great Idea" out of the ethereal level of debate down to the thinking level of the rest of us, the more "common" people. Especially in the last thirty years, a crop of "positive thinkers" has arisen, publishing books and cassette tapes on the subject. Much of this literature, however, seemingly puts the "cart before the horse," giving instructions on how to achieve success while averting its definition.

One exception is the late Earl Nightingale who, in his cassette tape course, Leading the Field, described success as the "progressive realization of a worthwhile goal." However, his admirable attempt, regrettably, can easily be picked apart. For instance, what is meant by "worthwhile," by "progressive"? What type of "worthwhile" goal has been set, how realistic is it, and in what area of life can the goal be found? Is the progression fast enough to satisfy the aspirant, or could it be too fast? Indeed, how can a goal alone (or any number of goals) be sufficient for success, which — it turns out — still has not been adequately defined?

All this has proven that success is too abstract, too broad a term to explicitly describe within a few words, considering the limited semantic resources available among humankind's finite languages. However, the inability to do so does not mean that no one exists who knows precisely what success is or when one becomes successful. One anonymous contributor comes close with the following:

He has achieved success who has lived long, laughed often, and loved much. Who has gained the trust of pure women, the respect of intelligent men, and the love of little children. Who has filled his niche and accomplished his task. Who has looked for the best in others, and given the best he had. Whose life was an inspiration: whose memory a benediction.

So how does one achieve this? And apart from the ability to arrive at a simplified description, how does one find that precise knowledge of success?

Some night, walk out onto the porch or balcony and look off into the northern sky. Somewhere out there is the home of a Person who knows the answer. He achieved the greatest success ever some 2,000 years ago during His own agonizing death (and subsequent resurrection, about which only a dozen or so knew), though nearly everyone then thought it was His consummate failure. This Person, who has never known failure, will freely share all the information needed about success; in fact, He has written a Book about it. Moreover, this Book is the only source for the meaning of true, lasting success and how to achieve it. The all-time best seller, it can be found virtually anywhere, from book stores to the local Salvation Army. Just ask for it by its title: The Holy Bible.

Retrieved from the essay "Elusive Success" by Lora Morrow, 1995