By John Paschall, President/CEO

Success – Have You Arrived?

Last month we talked about success and we mentioned three ideas:

** Success Comes from Failures

** Success Requires Change

** Be Better Than Mediocre

This month, let’s continue that discussion by asking an important question:

Have you arrived at success?  I hope you answer with a resounding “NO!”  Not because you are not successful, but because you have learned the real truth that:

Success is a journey not a destination

When you and I were younger, we may have defined success as a certain amount of education, money, house value, position, etc.  What we learned along the way is that all of those are milestones along the journey of success.   On my office wall is a quote: “It is not the extraordinary achievements or possessions that make us a success, but the daily work that we do each day which, done to the best of our ability, will take us to long-term success and the realization of our long-term goals.”

It is the process or journey that makes us a success, not necessarily reaching a specific milestone or goal.  Zig Ziglar says that those who finally finish their education and consequently stop reading and stop being intentional about learning, quickly find themselves perfectly prepared and ready for a world….that no longer exists.  Those that truly understand know that no matter when you finish your formal education, you must ensure that your learning never ceases.  It is a journey.

Make sure you climb the right mountain

While you and I are climbing the mountain of success, let’s keep a couple of things in mind.  One – it is uphill all the way.  It takes intentional effort every day to continue climbing and getting better.  Two – you can’t stay where you are and still reach your goals and your dreams, you have to keep walking and taking those daily steps.  Three – as you are climbing, make sure you are climbing the “right” mountain.  What is the right mountain?  It is the mountain where all of the people, ideas, and values that mean the most to you exist at the top.  Many, many unhappy people have found out way too late in life that after a lifetime of effort and struggle to reach the “top” – they realize that the people, ideas, and values they hold most dear….are somewhere else on a different “mountain”.  Just make sure your path will help you arrive at the destination you really desire.

Character, Integrity, and Ethics are required

You all know that the BBB’s daily mission is to promote ethics in the marketplace.  We do that through a wide variety of services, events and initiatives designed to reach out to a vast array of audiences ranging from middle school students to 93 year-old business owners (saw him earlier this week at our Morning Mix in Anahuac, by the way.  Beautiful Wellness Center there – check it out!).  All of these outreach efforts spring from a core center of ethical truths we understand here at the BBB:

         You can have everything in life that you want, if you will help enough other people get what they want.

         You can have nearly everything that money will buy without a shred of character but you cannot have anything money won’t buy without it.

Character, Integrity, and Ethics really are required for us to reach our ultimate goals.  If you share these beliefs and are interested in ensuring that they are transferred to our children and grandchildren (the next generation of consumers and business leaders), let me know and ask me about TOGGLE 2.0.  This is our next educational outreach that we are launching this fall.  Businesses are already signing up to sponsor and assist us in the effort.  We are REALLY excited.  Let’s climb that mountain together!

Have a great month and keep building your better business!

P.S.  One more thought – I just exhausted one box of business cards.  The thought hit me – am I running through these fast enough, am I giving enough out every day, am I getting enough business cards from others every day?  If you want to keep growing and building your business what is your answer to this question?  Are you getting your business name, products, and services to enough people every day?  What can we do to be more intentional about that?  Just an extra thought for your day.