Success vs Achievement

You may already know that some years back, we shifted business moniker from that of “success” to that of “Achievement.” It was with great consideration and intention that we made that shift and I’m really grateful that we did. To me, the word “achievement“ carries with it, action, intention, determination, cause and effect of choices, and consequences of wisdom. The word “success,” on the other hand, implied a finishing point, a destination, or a stagnant accomplishment, with fleeting rewards. Ironically, the point at which you feel that you have arrived, is typically when all actions that delivered that success, cease. So that point quickly transitions to a dissent from that pinnacle of success (think about climbing a mountain and standing for a moment at the very top, gorgeous view, but the next step is to begin the climb back down). What I want for you is to live in a life of continuous Achievement: one that is a constant, natural, easy flow of learning and growth.

Achievement. It‘s a weighty word. It implies something that’s been earned. When I see the word Achievement, I automatically feel like I should be getting to work on something with great intention because IT awaits. IT awaits my action, my sweat, my attention, my commitment, investment, discipline, accountability, and consistency. The inspiration of a confidence that accomplishing something really special IS possible. I hope you already or soon begin to sense the same inspiration each time you hear that word.

On the flip-side, achievement of the "wrong" thing is obviously NOT so good. But in many cases, an ambition that may seem worthy of your precious energy and focus in the moment, is ultimately an unworthy or "wrong" one when measured against the bigger picture of our lives. That's just a waste, or worse, tragic.

Real, meaningful, significant.... even worthy Achievement doesn’t happen by accident. Just for example, consider the tangible achievement of earning an Olympic Gold Medal. You wouldn’t hear the story of the victor saying, “no biggie. I was just having fun and this just sort of happened.” Quite the contrary. You’ll instead hear stories of sacrifice, discipline, commitment, investment, persistence, determination, overcoming challenges, setbacks... followed by “and it was all worth it!” A business is very similar in that it doesn’t grow by accident while you're casually looking the other way. It is in fact work. It’s intention, focus, diligence. It’s wisdom, direction, discipline, and a collective of logical actions applied consistently that deliver the desired result. The word Achievement, somehow, embodies all of that for me.