What is success?

This blog is about the pursuit and attainment of success for young people, so we should probably determine what that means. Too often in our society, we think of success only in terms of money, power, fame, sex appeal, stuff, etc. The truth is that none of those things are success for everyone. We each have a different definition of success. But what can we say about success in general? After some reflection, I propose that success can be described as follows:

Success is the process of defining goals, developing plans and strategies, and working hard towards the fulfillment of those goals. It is a journey of self-discovery and transformation towards the ultimate goal of a more meaningful and fulfilled life.

Note that I have defined success as a process; in other words, the journey counts as much as the destination. For example, if your goal is to retire at 45 and you develop a plan to get there and spend 20 years diligently working towards that goal but end up retiring at 47, would you define that as a failure? You may not have achieved your original goal, but the process you underwent of setting and working towards that goal is a success in itself.

Since this blog will focus heavily (for now) on the topics of personal finance and development, a fair question to ask is that of the relationship between money and success. Are they the same thing? Do you have to be wealthy to be successful? Do you have to be successful to be wealthy? I think the answer to all three questions is a resounding no. Experts tell us that happiness tends to increase with more money, but only until people have been lifted out of extreme poverty. When you're starving and homeless and sick, money absolutely can buy happiness. However, once you have a certain amount, adding more usually does not increase your happiness.

On the other hand, I know a lot of people who have attained a HUGE boost in happiness, meaning, and overall fulfillment not by acquiring more money or more stuff but by simply managing what they already have more effectively. I think the reason is simple: we're happier with ourselves and our own personal development.

It's been said that the most valuable thing gained on the path to becoming a millionaire is not the money, but the person you have to become to get there.  Obviously that doesn't apply to everyone, as there are plenty of examples of rich people that we wouldn't want to emulate, but I think there is real value in the idea that we have to change our attitudes and behaviors, become more disciplined, etc. to become wealthy, and the real value is in these changes.

In short, we view success as a journey and a process.  Our goal at Bounteo is to walk this path together and learn how to make better choices and develop traits that enrich their lives.  Hopefully you'll join us...