Success is not an entitlement

This morning, I read an article from the AdvantEdge Newsletter of Nightingle. This article is written by Dr. Ivan R. Misner, who is the Founder & CEO of BNI (www.bni.com), the world's largest referral organization. I will like to share with you.

Everyone wants some degree of success. Each person might want it in different forms, but I've never met anyone who didn't want to be successful in or at something important in their lives. This is good, because everyone is entitled to pursue success; but success itself is not an entitlement.

Success is largely determined by our hard work and our choices. Many people work hard but make bad choices, and it is amazing how many of them think they deserve to be more successful simply because they feel that they've worked so hard. Working hard is only the first part of success. Making good choices is the second part, and it truly takes both to achieve success at whatever you do……….

…….I've had the opportunity during my career to work with thousands of people who have experienced varying degrees of success in their lives. One of the recurring themes I see with these people is that they plan their work and work their plan. That is, they think through their choices, make the best ones they can with the information they have, and then work hard to carry those choices out.

As the CEO of an international company, I know that the choices I make are extremely important to the business. They can impact hundreds of employees, franchise owners, and associates as well as tens of thousands of clients around the world. Years ago, I was talking to a friend about some tough decisions I had to make and my concerns about them. He gave me some great advice: "Not every decision you make has to be a good one. Just make sure that you make more good ones than bad ones, and when you make a bad one, minimize the impact by fixing it quick." It was advice that squarely hit the point about working hard and making good choices. Not every choice you make has to be on the mark. However, enough of them do in order for you to get the kind of results you want. Some of my greatest lessons in business have come from my losses, not my successes. Generally, neither had much to do with luck but rather with the choices I made or the commitment I gave to the project.

Not long ago I was talking to someone I've known for years about the growth of my business and some other personal goals I've recently met. He said, "Man, you're lucky. It must be nice."

"Yeah, I'm 'lucky,' " I responded. "Let me tell you the secret to my 'luck.' First, I went to college for 10 years. During that time, I started my own business and worked really long hours for two decades. Along the way, I mortgaged my house a couple of times for the business, and I also wrote five books. You can have my kind of 'luck' too. All you need to do is apply this kind of effort to whatever you do and you can be just as 'lucky.'"

He laughed and said, "Okay, okay, I get it!" Did he really get it? If being successful was easy, everyone would have the success he or she thinks he or she deserves.

For most of those two decades I mentioned above, I didn't feel very lucky or incredibly successful. It took time, effort, hard work, and fairly decent choices before I felt any modicum of success. The problem is that many people want to go from point A to point Z and bypass all the challenges in between. They work hard; therefore, they "deserve" the success they want.

Yes, we all have the right to pursue success, but that's it. Success is most often earned, not handed over because you are entitled to it. I was in my 30s before I really, truly understood, and internalized that notion…….

Success is not an entitlement. It is not a "right" or a "claim" that we should simply get. Success is earned.