It has been said that ‘Success has many parents, but failure is an orphan.’ That statement is often demonstrated among the fans of athletic teams. Some “loyal” fans move from team to team, based on how well the various teams are doing. Non-participating fans claim success and parade their pride when their team wins. When their team wins it is, “We won!” When their team loses it is, “They lost!” Those same feelings and expressions apply to just about every other application where there are winners and losers. If our self esteem and our ‘success’ is dependent on a team or some other entity that we associate ourselves with, ‘from a distance,’ then our feelings of success or failure may give us frequent highs and lows.
What visions are conjured up in our minds when the thought of success is introduced? To some, a banker or someone involved in high finance may come to mind. To others, it may be a Kobe Bryant or some other famous sports figure or maybe even a movie star. To another, it may be a doctor or a highly educated professional person. We all have our ideas about who or what might represent success. Success has many faces, many levels, many talents and many trades. Having had many jobs in my long years, especially in my youth, I recall working where there were multiple levels of management. As a person is advanced to the next level they are considered by everyone below them to be one who has succeeded, or in other words, are successful. Each person who is advanced to the next higher level is also considered as being successful by their peers. That is the same as saying that success is relative, relative to where you are in the ‘pecking order’ of things. Robert Louis Stevenson says, “Everyone who got where he is has had to begin where he was.” That is usually at the bottom of the pecking order.
There are those of us who may label a person as successful based on their dress, by the car they drive or the house they live in, etc. In some cases, a person may be viewed as successful based on the family they were born into. All of these, in reality, may or may not identify a successful person.
Sometimes a person may be preliminarily assigned by their peers or parents as successful, based on their potential for success. For example, a young person who has demonstrated advanced academic skills, music talent, sports talent, etc. may be viewed by some as a success; a foregone conclusion months, maybe even years before they could possibly be seen in the winner’s circle.
Then, of course, there are successful people we would never find in a winner’s circle. These are the humble people who shy away from the limelight and never boast of their own value and/or accomplishments. They raise a wonderful family, full of love and togetherness, their primary objective in life. A family where the children are encouraged to learn and grow and are taught to serve each other, as well as those in their community. They may have had sons who willingly serve their country in the time of conflict and may even have quietly buried one of them. Families, like these, living in quiet neighborhoods, living their day to day lives, are the backbone of this country and in my mind, successful.
They are the unsung heroes of the community. Men and women who are our neighbors, who watch out for each other’s children, who help us with neighborly chores when we have a job too big for us to handle by ourselves. They are always there! They have cookies for the neighborhood children and can call them by name. They rush a pregnant next door neighbor to the hospital when the baby is ready to be born or when a child needs stitches. They are those who volunteer or accept callings to serve in their church. They are ‘minute men and women’ who won’t be found at award ceremonies in tuxedos and formal wear. Yet, these are successful people. Owen Feltham has said that, “The greatest results (success) in life are usually attained by simple means and the exercise of ordinary qualities.” These may, for the most part, be summed up in these two: Commonsense and perseverance.” These people are the salt of the earth who believe and do what the Savior taught. They are ‘successful’ human beings and sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father. They will be standing in the winners circle, crowned in glory by and by, and who could say that they were not successful?