While my reputation is largely built on my writings about leadership, my exploration of the concept of success spans over three decades. I have engaged with numerous accomplished individuals to untangle what exactly contributed to their achievements and how they define success. My intention is that by sharing these insights with you, they will provide guidance on your own path toward fulfilling your highest potential.
Understanding Your Life’s Purpose
Throughout the years of observing and conversing with successful individuals, I’ve identified a recurring theme: they possess clarity about their existence. This understanding of their life’s purpose offers them a sense of stability. When adversity strikes and others abandon their commitments, these resilient individuals navigate through challenges with unwavering resolve, as they possess a guiding star to keep them steady. This clarity serves as an anchor—an assurance derived from a deep understanding of their purpose. It’s been said that there are two significant days in life: the day you are born and the day you realize your purpose. I can assure you that extremely successful people have found theirs.
Passion: The Ultimate Energizer
There are two main avenues to discovering your purpose. The first is passion. What ignites your passion? What issues deeply resonate with you? What would inspire you to fight for? What would you be willing to sacrifice everything for?
While passion isn’t an infallible guide, it can certainly lead you toward understanding your true calling. Passion is incredibly potent; I refer to it as the ultimate energizer. It’s no mystery that individuals driven by passion exude energy. Hence, when you encounter successful people, you’ll notice their joy for their pursuits, and their enthusiasm fuels their drive. A passionate individual invariably possesses energy. In contrast, those devoid of passion often exhibit a lack of vitality.
Successful people cherish the journey as intensely as the destination. Even when they haven’t yet achieved their objectives, they are not disheartened; they remain motivated, as they carry an abundance of passion within them.
However, it is entirely possible to be ardently passionate about something in which one lacks proficiency, which can be disadvantageous. For instance, consider the audition rounds of American Idol. Many aspirants are thoroughly passionate about their vocal abilities, yet the results can be quite disastrous. The judges and audience often cringe while watching these enthusiastic performers, who are oblivious to their lack of talent.
When I witness individuals passionately belting out off-key melodies, I can’t help but wonder where their friends are. Shouldn’t someone intervene and suggest, “Hey, my friend, this might not be your forte?”
Thus, passion can only take you so far. It might get you close to your goal, but it carries about an 80% accuracy rate. The second pathway to uncovering your purpose is far more reliable—this I can guarantee.
Discovering Your Strength Zone
The second pathway is what I refer to as the Strength Zone pathway—a term popularized by Marcus Buckingham in his book Now, Discover Your Strengths. Essentially, it involves identifying what you excel at. What are your strengths? What unique talents do you possess that differentiate you from others?
Everyone has unique qualities that, if recognized, honed, and nurtured, can set them apart. Following the Strength Zone pathway allows your talents to elevate you above the ordinary. No one finds success in activities they dislike or struggle to perform well. Yet, daily, I meet countless individuals engaged in work they find unfulfilling, wondering why success eludes them.
People Reject Average
Here’s how I would explain this: People simply won’t pay for mediocrity. They never have, and they likely never will. It astounds me that in America, we’ve come to embrace average. We must recognize that mediocrity has never captured anyone’s attention or motivated them to excel. Hetting by means that forfeit standing out. Why are we so enamored with mediocrity? Reflect for a moment. After a tiring workday, do you turn to your partner and say, “Let’s celebrate our hard work by dining at an average restaurant?”
And when you arrive at the restaurant, do you request, “Oh, and we’d prefer an average table. Sure, the scenic spot is lovely, but we’d rather choose a table that nobody wants. Also, could you please assign us an average waiter?”
When the average waiter arrives, you don’t ask, “What’s your recommendation?” Instead, you ask, “Do you have anything that no one has ever ordered?”
You don’t go out for an average dining experience, settle for an average table, tolerate an average waiter, eat an average meal, and then leave thinking, “Wow, we should repeat this next week!”
People won’t pay for mediocrity. So why should we think that we can build an average business, pursue an average career, or lead an average life and still make a significant impact? Mediocrity never makes a significant contribution.
Cease Prioritizing Your Weaknesses
Next, I’m about to suggest something that contradicts everything you may have learned regarding weaknesses. You might feel some resistance, but I encourage you to accept this perspective, as it can liberate you. From this point forward, cease focusing on improving your weaknesses. Why? It’s straightforward: we are inherently weak in our weaknesses. Unlike the supportive friends of those bad performers on American Idol, I urge you to abandon endeavors you struggle with.
Our educational systems have conditioned us to concentrate on areas of weakness. If you excel in math with an A but struggle in English with a C, whom does the system instruct you to improve? Correct, English.
But I’m telling you, don’t focus on your English skills. You may wonder why not. It’s simple—your mathematical abilities far outweigh your command of language. You possess a natural affinity for numbers over words. This is neither good nor bad; it’s simply your nature. It’s your individuality. In fact, you should be grateful that you received a C!
Tiger Woods Focuses on His Strengths
Recently, while conversing with a group of CEOs and presidents, one of them raised an interesting point. “John,” he said, “I disagree with you about not working on weaknesses. Look at Tiger Woods. When he has an off day, he heads to the practice range and spends hours refining his swing—what a prime example of working on weaknesses.”
I responded that this actually highlighted the significance of focusing on strengths. Tiger Woods is arguably the finest golfer of all time, and when he addresses a minor flaw in his swing, he’s not improving weaknesses; he’s enhancing his strengths. He’s engaged in his Strength Zone, refining something at which he already excels.
The distinction lies in my experience at the practice range, where I’m in my weak zone. For me, practice leads only to the establishment of bad habits. On the contrary, when you are focused in your Strength Zone like Woods, practice aims for perfection. When I attempt to perfect my golf swing, I consistently make the same mistakes, which ironically helps me locate my ball in the rough.
What is Your Growth Plan?
Knew your purpose in life is foundational for success. However, it extends beyond mere recognition. I know individuals who are well aware of their life’s purpose yet still languish in mediocrity. A cohesive growth plan is crucial to reaching your utmost potential. It’s not enough to identify what you should pursue; it involves continuously cultivating and showcasing what you excel at. That’s the essence of ongoing growth.
Back in 1973, I had a pivotal moment. At a seminar in Lancaster, Ohio, a fellow attendee asked me one of the most pivotal questions of my life: “John, what’s your growth plan?” At that time, I was just a young adult, unaware that having a growth plan was essential. Attempting to bluff my way through, I rambled about my intricate schedule and my hard work toward my ambitions. I was like an aircraft circling an airport, struggling to land until eventually running out of steam. When I fell silent, he smiled and remarked, “You don’t actually have a plan, do you?” To which I candidly admitted, “Nope, I don’t.”
Then he shared a transformative message that stayed with me: “John, growth isn’t automatic. If you wish to grow, you need to do so deliberately.” That day, I returned home and shared with my wife, Margaret, “I’m unsure of what a growth plan entails, but I’ve realized I need one, and I’m determined to figure it out.” I dedicated that entire year to development, and I can confidently state it reshaped my life.
That experience transpired in the early 1970s, and since then, I’ve committed to my personal growth annually.
The leader’s pace dictates the pack’s pace. The only way for both you and I to remain ahead is to engage in perpetual learning, development, and consistent commitment. Highly successful individuals possess an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and are continuously curious and questioning.
Your Actions Today Shape Your Success
I don’t perceive success as an enigma. To me, it is an attainable, concrete goal for everyone. It begins with one fundamental assertion: your success is dictated by your daily choices and actions—and that starts today.
My belief in this principle is so deep that I authored a book titled Today Matters, wherein I discuss how we often inflate past events, overrate future possibilities, and undervalue the present day.
The reality is, every day, you’re either in a state of repair or preparation. You either grapple with fixing past mistakes—whether in relationships, issues, priorities, or missed opportunities—or you live proactively, setting the stage for future success.
Accomplished individuals are clear about their purpose in life, work diligently to reach their highest potential, and invest their efforts in uplifting others. Their lives are not self-serving; they function like rivers, not reservoirs. They recognize the essence of significance—contributing value to others.
