“Try, not to become a man of success, but rather, try to become a man of values.” — Albert Einstein
I suspect everyone wants to be successful. People want to be successful in their careers, relationships, fitness, finances, etc…. Who doesn’t want to be successful? But how do we get there? What should we do or not do that will help us reach success? Mr. Einstein told us everything we need to know in this elegant, concise little quote. It involves two key things. Let’s break it down and talk about them.
“Try, not to become a man of success…”
Mr. Einstein is saying that you should NOT have success as your primary focus. Don’t be blinded so much by what you want to become that you don’t focus on the things that you need to do and the person you need to become to get there. Some times we become so blinded by what we want that we focus on the end game and not the million little steps that will actually get us there. Some times we rush through the little things, not doing them well, in anticipation of the end result or success we hope to achieve.
Mr. Einstein is saying that success should NOT be our focus. Don’t be so blinded by your desires for a positive end result that you lose focus of the little things, and doing them well, that will get you there. Success is made up of all those little things done well and the person you become doing those little things well. Those little things also do something else too…
“…but rather, try to become a man of values.”
When you do all those little things well and with focus, you will become “a man of value.” When you take the time and focus on the little things and learning to do them your very best, something weird happens. You not only complete the little thing, but you gain an appreciation and respect for those little things. Your values begin to change…you begin to change. When your values change for the better, you become a different person, a better person. You begin to see things differently, appreciate things more. You will put more into who you are becoming, not who you want to be. Like last Happy Thursday’s post, “When I put the man together, the world just fell into place.” Mr. Einstein is saying that if you focus on becoming the right man or woman, then success will naturally happen!!!
Final Thoughts
Though you need to know what you want your end result to be…what success you are aiming for, you CAN’T make it your central focus. You need to identify the values you need to create in yourself in order to get you to where you want to be. When you can focus on the little things that provide and create value, you will not only be providing value to others, but creating value in yourself. These values help you know what is right and wrong. These values give you an appreciation for what you are doing and who you are. These values are way more important than the success. If a man or woman has the right values, success is inevitable.
Remember to do the little things well, invest in yourself and what you are doing, and watch how your values change for the better. Once you begin to do this, you won’t need to chase success. It will find you!!!