Okay, So… What Actually Does Determine Personal and Professional Success?
We don‘t really know why some people succeed in life and others don‘t. Some introverts are highly successful, while some extroverts are not. It’s even difficult to draw generalizations. What IS even success, to begin with? There are some universal, time-honored objectives most people strive for in life, such as winning faithful friends, landing a better job, finding and keeping a passionate love, and more often than not, the mixture of all the above. Although there are no one-size-fits-all solutions to get these things, there are sure-fire ways to get us on the way to them. According to communication speaker and author Leil Lowndes, one of the key success indicators is the ability to connect with people, emotional prediction, and making people feel good about themselves.
Absolutely, Leil, you rock! No doubt about it. But let me interject my opinion here: there’s one more thing to top it off, that comes right after quality friendships and love: purposeful activity. This can be pretty much anything that gives you the sense of purpose, joy, fulfillment and meaning in life, and not necessarily means having an outstanding career (let’s face it: most of us have jobs, not careers). These activities can go beyond just making a buck, paying the bills, and/or filling time; things like volunteering, blogging, mentoring, gardening, making YouTube tutorials, making hybrid manicure… you name it. Anything that allows you to express your true self.
One more thing which I’d like to mention (though I have trouble spitting out these words) is: the discomfort that can come from being in new situations and daily challenges needs to take a back seat. Yes, let me say it more directly: we need to be brave enough to leave our comfort zone and dare to lose sight of what’s known to us and what feels familiar. I myself have learned the necessity of this the hard way (still working on it). And yes, it does take deflecting any desire you might have to find reasons to maintain the status quo.
Absolutely, Leil, you rock! No doubt about it. But let me interject my opinion here: there’s one more thing to top it off, that comes right after quality friendships and love: purposeful activity. This can be pretty much anything that gives you the sense of purpose, joy, fulfillment and meaning in life, and not necessarily means having an outstanding career (let’s face it: most of us have jobs, not careers). These activities can go beyond just making a buck, paying the bills, and/or filling time; things like volunteering, blogging, mentoring, gardening, making YouTube tutorials, making hybrid manicure… you name it. Anything that allows you to express your true self.
One more thing which I’d like to mention (though I have trouble spitting out these words) is: the discomfort that can come from being in new situations and daily challenges needs to take a back seat. Yes, let me say it more directly: we need to be brave enough to leave our comfort zone and dare to lose sight of what’s known to us and what feels familiar. I myself have learned the necessity of this the hard way (still working on it). And yes, it does take deflecting any desire you might have to find reasons to maintain the status quo.
Author: Helena Zając
Glossary / Glosariusz
1. To draw generalizations - generalizować
2. Time-honored - uświęcony tradycją
3. To land a job - znaleźć pracę
4. One-size-fits-all - uniwersalny
5. Sure-fire - niezawodny, pewny
6. To top it off - zakończyć
7. Let’s face it - tu: bądźmy szczerzy
8. To make a buck - zarobić parę groszy
9. You name it - co tylko chcesz
10. To take a back seat - zejść na dalszy plan
11. To be familiar - być komuś znanym, brzmieć znajomo
12. To learn sth. the hard way - uczyć się na błędach
13. Status-quo - istniejący stan rzeczy
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