In business and as an entrepreneur, it’s very easy to applaud yourself for all the great things you do and the successes that you’ve had. At the same time, it’s also incredibly easy to be overly critical of yourself, of the things that you’ve done or not done. The same goes for those around you that you perceive to have been more successful (or even those around you who you perceive to have been less successful because they just haven’t chosen the same path as you).
Success is a very interesting word, and it means so many different things to different people. Phil Jackson, legendary basketball coach, once said, “You’re only a success at the moment of a successful act. Then you have to do it again.” I think that’s very true.
If you succeed and achieve a goal that was critically important to you and makes you feel good about yourself, that’s great. However, ultimately, the true sign of a winner or of a successful person is someone who can go out and do it over and over and over again.
We just saw the Dodgers get eliminated in the National Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers last night. Obviously, as a Dodgers fan, it was incredibly emotional and disappointing for me. However, you cannot dismiss the fact that they won 100 games. They’ve won 100 games many times now. They were back-to-back World Series champions and arguably the most successful franchise of the last decade-plus.
Again, it’s not lost on me that these players, managers, and leaders felt that this year was a failure. They felt that they didn’t succeed this year, and for all intents and purposes, they didn’t. They fell short of their ultimate goal, which was achieving a Threepeat (something very difficult to do – and actually coined by the same Phil Jackson, by the way). But lost and were unable to advance on to the World Series.
Should the loss last night take away from all the success they’ve had along the way? Should that diminish any of the success that the franchise has had over the last 10-plus years?
Look, achieving is hard. Success is hard. Honoring that success is even more difficult. Acknowledging success can sometimes feel like bragging or arrogance. Making it even easier for others to poke or make excuses for your success: “Oh, he came from this family or that. He didn’t have it as hard as me.”
In the Dodgers’ case, many say that they won because they’ve spent more money than everybody else. While certainly the Dodgers have invested heavily in their team, they also have invested heavily in data analytics, drafting, coaching, medical, and, in general, how they treat their players and their players’ families. As owners and as a leadership team, they’ve chosen to build all the foundations to have ongoing success for years to come.
Success is not one-sided and comes from all of the little decisions you make along the way.
Most certainly, one should feel good about the success that you have. Honor those achievements and do it with grace and class.
Own your success. But always strive to do better.
Acknowledge what you’ve done and appreciate those around you who helped you get there.
-J.D.