Let's imagine you have a version of success in your mind. You could paint that picture now, but you could also have painted it five years ago or will paint it five years from now. While our tangible definitions of success may change over time, I believe the core of that success remains the same. What we consider success at age 10—perhaps becoming the president of the United States—might evolve into being the social chair of our non-profit at age 35. While the destination changes, the underlying reasons seem to remain constant.
I strive to identify what remains stable in my life and which motivations ring true throughout it, so I can use what I know will not change to accomplish what may. While our goals might shift, our reasons for aiming at particular objectives often do not. Somewhere at the end of a metaphorical rainbow lies our true potential. Imagine having a conversation with destiny and asking it to reveal what it has planned for you. That's the intriguing part—imagine being shown your wildest dream, beyond what you thought possible.
Suppose you're just starting in songwriting, and destiny shows you your name in shining lights at Madison Square Garden, performing for tens of thousands of people. Or imagine you're beginning in business, and destiny reveals your name on the Forbes list. It's easy at that point to say, "Give me that; I'll do whatever it takes."
But now, imagine destiny shows you exactly how to get there, and you see all the challenges and hardships along the path. Do you embark on this journey to reach your true potential and attain what destiny has planned? Perhaps the struggles you are bound to encounter are necessary to achieve this ideal future, but now, being aware of them, that "whatever it takes" commitment seems a bit premature.
I often contemplate this exercise: Imagine you are given a playlist today that contains every song you will ever enjoy or have once enjoyed. It includes songs from your childhood and others from your future. I ask myself whether I would want this playlist and if I would even like the songs from the past and the future. Our musical tastes evolve over time, and perhaps we wouldn't yet appreciate the songs from the far future because we haven't experienced the ones that are to come in the near future.
Many influencers advocate setting long-term goals, and while goals have their place, I think it's important to reflect on the J. Cole lyric: "Good news is—you came a long way. Bad news is—you went the wrong way." While we can set goals based on what our heart desires, our mind must monitor what the heart wants. We need logic to guide us and show us where we should head in life. While it's important to know where you're going, it's perhaps more important to understand the motivation behind why you want to go there.
I believe it's important to find something you can excel at, potentially better than 99.9% of people in the world, if you put in the work. Too many people don't dig deep enough or focus narrowly enough to make that a reality. While I acknowledge that the more competitive the field you're pursuing, the higher the potential reward, the "starving artist" is an unfortunate reality for many aspiring Da Vincis.
Being in the top 0.1% of the NBA is far more rewarding than being in the top 0.1% of your local recreational league. However, one is significantly more achievable. It's important to recognize where you are in the bigger picture and understand your place in the grander hierarchy. This is similar to the flawed argument that the best college basketball team could beat the worst NBA team.
It's also crucial to step into bigger arenas and be willing to transition from being a big fish in a small pond to a small shark in a big sea, with the potential to become the greatest great white in the ocean. The old "sink or swim" idiom doesn't capture reality—you can't throw a novice into the deep end and expect them to swim. The same applies to life. You cannot simply thrust yourself into the top 0.1% of any endeavor and expect to compete. You need incremental victories. You need to be in the top tier in smaller contexts and be willing to move to larger ones once you've mastered the current level.
Too many people are either too comfortable or overly ambitious without preparation. Success feels rewarding, and being at the top brings benefits like status, recognition, financial gain, and more opportunities. Transitioning from CEO of a million-dollar firm to a middle manager at a multi-billion-dollar conglomerate involves personal risk assessment, but it may be necessary to eventually become CEO of that conglomerate and join the ranks of the top professionals in your field.
I've always aligned with a well-rounded approach to life, but well-rounded doesn't have to mean mediocrity in every area. It can also mean not lacking in any one area but thriving in all. Let's look at life through four lenses: health, wealth, love, and happiness. How we define success in each is subjective, but consider your idea of the top 0.1% in each category and define it.
Imagine a completely fictional character named "Top Dog." Top Dog is in the top 0.1% in each of the four categories mentioned earlier. I think striving toward this level of excellence is a worthy goal. While few will achieve it and few will even attempt it, some should strive for proximity to this ideal.
Returning to our earlier discussion, imagine you could paint a picture of your perfect life. You could have immense wealth, a perfect body, a fulfilling romantic life, numerous quality friendships, and spend every day doing what you love. Now, I tell you that all you have to do is read a book that outlines your destiny and exactly how to achieve this life. You'd probably respond with, "Absolutely, where's the nearest library?"
Now, imagine the book is 275,000 pages long.
Reading a book of that size would require tackling around 75 pages per day for ten full years. How many people are willing to commit to that? The book is right in front of you, but this represents the sacrifice and time it often takes to achieve your dreams.
Many people hope for a plan to be revealed to them and wish their life would come easy. They sit and hope for something to happen, but the reality is that we have to put in the work, and we don't truly know why our path is set the way it is. We don't know why we encounter certain people or struggles, but we wake up with a choice each day. We can choose to make progress. We can choose to do something better today than we did yesterday, no matter how small. Compound interest works miracles over time.
If destiny were all-knowing, it could reveal your entire story from birth to death, spending countless hours explaining every thought and its purpose. It could detail how a seemingly insignificant encounter on September 6th played into a larger plan for your life. But as Steve Jobs famously said, "You cannot connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward." You need to experience life to understand it.
Destiny could show you your dream life and even grant it to you instantly. In the Bible, God came to King Solomon in a dream and offered him anything he wanted, and Solomon asked for wisdom. Wisdom is hard to define, but perhaps it involves having an adventurous spirit capable of walking through fire while continually aiming higher.
Wrapping up this exploration of success, potential, and purpose, it's fitting to reflect on the interconnectedness of our ambitions, our journeys, and the inherent challenges along the way. Success is a moving target—shaped by time, perspective, and personal growth. While the goals we pursue may evolve, the motivations that drive us, rooted in our core values and identity, often remain constant. Understanding this can guide us in crafting a life not only of achievement but of meaning.
The metaphor of the playlist, where our tastes evolve and prepare us for what's ahead, underscores the importance of embracing each stage of our journey. Similarly, the imagery of a vast book reminds us that the path to greatness is often long, arduous, and filled with uncertainty. Yet, the journey itself, with its lessons, struggles, and small victories, shapes us into the kind of person capable of reaching those lofty goals.
True success, then, is not just about achieving the endpoint but about becoming the person capable of doing so. It's about embracing the process, facing the challenges and sacrifices, and consistently aiming higher while staying true to the motivations that inspire us. Wisdom, like that sought by King Solomon, is the balance between an adventurous spirit and the discipline to navigate life's trials.
In the end, life is less about arriving at a fixed destination and more about living with intentionality, constantly striving to align our daily actions with our ultimate purpose. It's the accumulation of small, thoughtful choices—each day slightly better than the last—that creates the compounding miracle of a life well-lived. Whether it’s through health, wealth, love, or happiness, the aim is not just to survive but to thrive, striving to be in the top 0.1% in the areas that truly matter to us.
So, as you consider your journey, ask yourself: If given the opportunity to read the book of your life, would you choose to skip to the end, or would you take it one page at a time, savoring each moment as it unfolds? Because, after all, the meaning of life isn't just in the destination; it's in the journey, the growth, and the wisdom we gather along the way.
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