Re: What makes a person successful?

"John A. Weeks III" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>...
> In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, rissa <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> wrote:
> 
> > I am a senior in college who will be graduating in Dec 2003  I plan to
> > go into the business world and I find myself pondering on what makes a
> > person successful in life.  I have narrowed it down to three key
> > things.  Having the right attitude, the right skills and setting goals
> > in life. Can anyone add to this or does anyone have a different idea
> > of what makes one successful?  If so I would love a response.
> 
> There are all different ways to define success.  I personally see
> success as being able to determine what I want to do with my time,
> and not have to answer to others.  Others see success in terms of
> job title or money, especially if these are earned more quickly
> than average.  Still others see success as being happy in what they
> are doing, even if they would rather be doing something else.
> 
> The best definition of success that I have heard is someone doing
> the best they can with what they were given.  That means that a
> 70 IQ person has a chance for success, even if they are never going
> to have corporate job and earn the big money, and accounts for a
> 240 IQ person who works as a night janitor.
> 
> To be honest, I see the "right attitude, right skills, and setting
> goals" as being a cliche.  The problem is that you likely cannot
> define what these attitudes and skills are.  For example, what
> attitude does Ross Perot have that makes him more successful than
> the rest of us?  What skill does Bill Gates have that any other
> programmer from his era did not have?  And think of Arnold, who
> will likely become CEO of California today despite having very
> poor attutudes against women (having assulted something like 20
> women in the recent past)--does that mean groping women is a
> "right skill" to have?
> 
> If you are focused on corporate or monetary success, I see that as
> more of a sorting game.  Consider 100 people lined up, each with
> a penny.  Have them all flip the penny, and those with tails leave
> the game.  The remaining people flip again, and again those with
> tails leave the game.  Repeat this process until only one person
> remains.  That person is the winner.  Does that make this person
> the most successful penny flipper?  No.  It is basically a random
> event.  As long as the game is going on, there is going to be a
> winner.  You cannot say that the person is a superior penny flipper,
> just that they happened to have heads come up everytime they needed
> it to happen.
> 
> That is a lot like success.  Bill Gates might not be the smartest
> person in the world, or the best businessman, rather, he just had
> his penny come up heads more than anyone else.  If it hadn't been
> Bill Gates, it would have been someone else.
> 
> My point is that it isn't the best or the brightest that always
> makes it.  Luck, being in the right spot at the right time, and
> knowing the right people have a lot more to do with business and
> financial success.  Relating this back to our sorting example,
> you have to be in the game, and be flipping that penny if you
> want to get anywhere.  Often times, persistence is a major factor.
> Look at Charles Schwab, who went bankrupt (more than once) before
> making it big, or Harlan Sanders, who didn't start KFC until he
> was 65 years old.
> 
> Zig Ziglar probably said it the best.  I don't recall his exact
> words, but he says that you have to plan to win and prepare to
> win so you are ready when your number is called.  Think of the
> role of a backup quarterback in football.  The backup has to be
> just as good as the regular quarterback if the team has any hope
> of winning after the regular quarterback goes down.  The backup
> has to know the system, and practice each week, never knowning 
> if they are going to get that chance.  But if they are called, they
> have to be ready to go.  Can you imagine the alternative?  The
> regular quarterback gets hurt, so the back up tells the coach,
> hey, hold up the game for an hour while I run some practice
> patterns with receivers and learn the system.  The other lesson
> here is that someone can have all the skills, the right attitude,
> and be ready to win, but never get the chance.  Is that person
> then not a success?
> 
> -john-
It seems to me with your formula if one was persistant enough there is
no way that they would never be given a chance to be successful in
life.  Persistance is not  an ingrediant I had thought about  but it
probably should be #1 for a person creating success.  Would you agree?
Do you think someone could be considered successful if they are not
happy?   I tend to think if someone is unhappy in life and saying that
 they are very successful, is kind of full of B.S.  I don't know the
dictionary definition of success but I think Personal Happiness should
be part of it.
Rissa