the study of success

It’s worth it to start this introduction off with a commitment to you, the reader, in return for you investing your valuable time and attention in what I’ve laid out here. I’ll start by mentioning that my meditation when I ever sit down to write is to ensure that what I say and how I say it comes across crystal clear and with maximum impact. It seems to me that the most forefront goal of any writer on the topic of success should be the success of their writing in getting ideas across. So many books do not, and you can read more about my theories for that here, to understand what makes the presentation of The Study Of Success different.

The first and last goal of this introduction is to provide an overview – a floor plan if you will – to the material on The Study Of Success. The subject, not so surprisingly, is on success, specifically, success as it is defined in the definition, an article (really also a perspective offered) which will be of particular usefulness to all who continue. But first, the organization and structure. As much as text can be laid out, the goal of this introduction is to show how individual pieces of content link to, are related to, and depend upon one another. 

The site is broken into two distinct parts:

• Principles – which are lengthier writings on the subject of success, specifically, the definition of success, its mechanisms, my observations, and other high-level material of broad and general application, intended to inform and educate with timeless principles.
• Practices – which are shorter supportive writings that drill down into more pointed topics with greater specificity and detail than what the principles cover, writings that assume prior familiarity and understanding of references made to the principles.

To elaborate on this a bit, the principles are much akin to a book, laying out the foundation and ideas and directives that you might use to make changes that will create a shift in the course and direction of your life; they are the instructions or the coursework. The practices are a lot like a blog or a journal, always being added unto, full of information that is more specific in nature; they are the discussions that help foster understanding and application of the principles.

The principles, they are broad and encompassing and universal and intended to make sense universally. The practices, they are definitive and exacting in their subject and meant to help readers put the principles to use in a more personal and effective manner. The principles, if anything, err on the side of being more general and at times vague, full of subjectivity, and open to interpretation, while the practices are full of certainty, actual cases, evidence and objectivity, with some that work better for some people than others.

The Principles

The principles of success are broken down into several individual subjects that progress from one to the next in order to go from knowing nothing, to having an idea, to understanding, to full comprehension:

• Definition – Defining Success – define success, everyone has a definition, and it helps to become solid on that because that is the enigma, the core of what motivates us, even more basic than our vision – setting a backdrop for this material, getting everyone on the same page, defining success in an uncommonly broad and applicable sense, in a manner that works for all and can be attained by anyone
• Origin / Motivation – Where This All Came From – all success, and every successful person have a point of origin, some pivotal moment in their lives, and often times what led up to that, that pushed them forward to make a change and seek success, explain where this came from, and talk about the uniqueness of our own journeys, and how some difficulties and challenges and setbacks are never a bad thing – we’ve all had them (put in some info on examples) – these setbacks and experiences help shape and determine our purpose, those really early seminal moments in our lives, your eventual success is shaped / influenced by your past but determined by your future – my background and my personal journey toward needing to discover and understand this basis of success
• Perspective – The Psychology and Spirituality of Success – legitimize, justify, and show that success is nothing wrong – we are worthy – Understanding Maslow, Abraham, Jesus, success is not a forbidden thing – it is the natural state of the world, and to seek anything less than constant fulfillment and progress and progression from desire to manifestation is – “I think it’s important for people to start with a healthy vision and perspective toward success. We all want it, and we know we can have it, but just, not too much, okay? Live a humble, reasonable life. Don’t want for a lot. Be happy with what you have. Sure, there’s good ideas in there, be grateful, appreciate what you have, be generous unto others. But don’t draw a box around your life or set a limit on who or what you can become. Don’t feel uncomfortable with the success that you want but the world tells you is rooted in selfishness. 
• Indifference / Willpower / Adaptation – Paradigm Shift – explain the perspective more fully, and the change of thoughts and beliefs you’ll undergo, all who are successful share a broad but common perspective around success and that it’s ok and natural, as those who are not successful typically have some type of guilt or baggage around it – successful people are indifferent to the world around them and what it says they can and cannot do – just as I questioned and found evidence to the contrary of the world that others had painted into my mind, in order for people to understand success and to be able to attain it more freely, we have a lot to change about our beliefs, changing a lot of things we’ve held true for a long time (toward the beginning) – redefining success, like the definition of it, making it more broad, not just about money (even though money secures success on the whole), making it not just about being a millionaire or wealth, but being a state of being that has no exact $$ amount, redefining / broadening/ expanding the path toward success, not just school, but more – what you have to do, think, and be willing to do in order to begin this journey – be open minded, abandon subjectivity and embrace objectivity
• Identity – Having a Vision, Motivation, Sense of Purpose – figure out your what and why, finding your personal sense of purpose, open yourself to experiences that will help you discover that – we have a purpose – Understanding Purpose for Existence and Meaning of Life, discovering what makes you tick – draw out your floorplan, chart out your goals, successful people, people who create success know who they are and their identity and their purpose and follow it and feed off of the energy and fulfillment and satisfaction that it gives… people who chase success simply do what others tell them will result in success
• Logic / Reflection and Action / Judgment / Decisions – Making Good Decisions – understand how literally everyone has gotten there, big dependence on practices and what you do with what you have / how it’s all personalized, those are the particulars, even bigger dependence on the principles, but this is the process – the TEREABA Mechanism, being open to feedback and introspection, that makes all of this information truly work and turn into something – we take feedback and reflect – emotions are quick, super easy automatic feedback responses that come from beliefs to make it easier for us to make decisions, but many times they backfire – this is the computer that uses all the code and awareness and input and creates something – learn how to build it all – learn the actions, learn how to wield the tools
• Balance – Time & Balance – not spending too much time doing on thing – we establish balance – learn how to manage the construction process – how to keep it sustainable and avoid burnout and nurture yourself
• Determination – Starting Where You Are / Starting Your Journey – present all the scenarios, and how you get from there toward progress – we can change – taking stock and inventory of where you are, realizing what you have ahead of you. High School / College Student Scenario. 40-hour a week job transitioning into something else. All the different paths. Workstyles
• Consistency – simplifying it all, what all of this looks like on the daily – we are consistent – remember who you are, and what you stand for, reflect on what has happened, keep track of how you’re feeling, always be feeding yourself with something new, set goals and achieve them, but be open to when they don’t feel natural, and patient and willing to sit down and contemplate why, and how things might need to change, ensure that you have balance in your day.

The Practices

The posts are broken down into three main categories (create, play, rest) and additional categories based on topics like productivity, etc. The practices are infinitely shorter in length than the principles, and also infinitely more numerous, as they are the compartmentalized writings that add personal context to the principles for a variety of readers.

Create

Create has a lot to do with the process of transforming life for ourselves and for others. I would say that it’s the area that has received and continues to receive the most attention, because it is the area of our lives – the one where our careers reside – that receives so much attention, and in many cases, presents the greatest challenge to us in attaining success.

Play

Play is not just about having fun, it’s about keeping our minds young, keeping our spirits high, and truly enjoying life and all the experiences. It is, in many ways, the byproduct of being a successful creator, but also the fuel of one as well. These experiences – the ones with no objectives other than to have fun and explore and see and do – these are the ones that serve as enigmatic moments of discovery, to help us as we create.

Rest

Rest is about sleep, but additionally about taking the time to let ourselves recharge and become more, and that can happen just as often in our waking hours as it can in our sleep. With enough creation and play, rest is inevitable, and the techniques and ideas and aides that I talk about in this section help to make quick and easy work of this essential time.