"Success"

     Consider this inquiry: would we have any motivation without the promise of success?  The inevitably definitive answer to this question is “no”.  The very essence of the word “motivation” is derived from the word “motive”, which is referencing a motion toward a result.  My motive for cooking is to eat.  My motive for taking vitamins is to avoid sickness.  If I eat, my action of cooking is successful.  If I remain healthy, my action of ingesting vitamins is successful.  My awareness that the process of cooking ultimately results in my satiation, and swallowing vitamins results in balanced health provides motivation to accomplish said actions.

     Thus, virtually everything a man intentionally chooses to do is motivated by the desire of success.  I suppose the real question is how one defines success.  If a man is motivated by the end result of becoming rich, then the path that leads to this goal is potentially compromised by less than honorable actions, conniving and forcing one’s path to financial superiority.  If, however, a man is motivated by creating a business that can employ others, and provide security for his family (if his version of success is defined more by selflessness than selfishness), his motives would change, potentially reaching a similar goal as the man who is motivated purely by wealth, but with ultimately different success. Ergo, our perspective of what it means to be successful directly affects our actions.

     Thus, when considering how we are motivated, we must first define the definition of success.  Once the definition has been clarified, a man is far more likely to understand what motivates him, and how to use these motives to reach the promise of success.

Advice:  Examine your personal definition of success.  Understand that our view of success directly influences our motivation, and our motivation directly influences our actions.  When in doubt, administer the litmus test of “selfishness versus selflessness”, and allow your findings to directly affect your decision on how to achieve success.