Success Is More Than Just Getting There

Every morning, millions of people rise, shine, and caffeinate like clockwork. Cup of coffee in hand, off they go, marching into traffic or logging onto Zoom ready to do the thing.

- FRANCIS J. KONG

Ask them why they work, and you'll hear a deeply philosophical answer: "To earn money." I mean how philosophical can that be right? But dig a little deeper.

"Money for what?"

"To buy food and pay the bills." "And the food gives you...?" "Energy." "To do what?" "Work." "Wait, so you work to buy food to fuel you to work again?"" Congratulations. You're like a hamster. You are on a treadmillpowered by caffeine and cut-off dates. That is not living; it is just mere existing.

That's not living. That's looping. Like a Netflix episode stuck on autoplay.

Here's the punchline: You can't succeed if you don't even know what success looks like. So before you burn out your battery chasing paychecks and food, ask yourself: Success in what? For whom? And for what purpose? Vague dreams produce vague results. Many want success but cannot define what success means to them.

"I want to be successful," they say. But in what exactly? You have to direct your intentions to your success goals.

Clarity drives momentum. Perspective determines objective. Your mindset sets your course.

As one story goes, a young man asked a bank president, "How did you succeed?" The answer? "Two words: right decisions." "How do you make the right decisions?" "One word: experience." "And how do you get experience?" "Two words: wrong decisions." Success starts with clear intention.