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What Is Success?


 I was 26 before I ever understood what success is a success isn't getting there

success is making a decision that you're going to get there and move toward it

it's like the kid's school is getting C in the average and they're working for you and a and 

B and they're giving it everything they've got their successful person it's like a person's 

maybe accumulated a million dollars and is working towards  an estate of five million 

and they're progressively moving that direction or successful person each one as 

successful as the other she's got nothing to do whether it's a mark for a kid in school or 

it's an amount of money for a businessperson success is the progressive realization of a 

the worthy ideal that's your own Leo's definition of success he stumbled on that in 1951.

He died in 1989 and he never changed a word I came across that in 1961 I have

never changed a word and I've never found a better definition I think our Langdale has 

nailed it success is the progressive realization of the worthy ideal I'm here I know I'm 

here and I know I'm going to get there. 

I don't know how I'm going to get there but I know I'm going to get there see I had the 

the good fortune of working with Sir Edmund Hillary on two or three occasions no one had 

ever been to the top of Mount Everest but he got there you know why he made up

his mind he was going now he went to Nepal in 51 he but he didn't he was

failed but in 52 we went back again everybody told him he was crazy because

a lot of people had died trying to climb that mountain he failed again in 52 but

in 1953 ed Hillary and Tenzing Norgay stood right on top of the world he was

successful in 51 when they started to go for the summit see the Wright brothers were 

successful.

when they made up their mind that was going to get the plane off the ground they 

weren't successful when they got it off the ground they were successful the moment 

they decided they were going to get it off the ground you know where you're going to have 

you made up your mind you're going to get there you don't have to know how the how 

will be showing as you go towards it you won't know how to get there until after the fact 

it's in retrospect that we see the path we chose that's a very important thing

as a kid I was povel when it knocked the bar rock I thought I was fair the truth was I 

succeeded no one ever told me to know the difference today.

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