Is success a choice?

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Hey guys,

I was driving to school to take my finals today and the DJ announced that Happiness is a choice. I was wondering if others felt the same applied to success. In business I always question what makes a company or individual successful.

For the purpose of this thread success is define as a universal "achievement" or what most would agree is a achievement. For some of us internet marketers it may be a certain amount of money or a method that cuts our work by half.

Feel free to add your own definition and share your thougths about being a success...especially in internet marketing, is it a choice?
#mind warriors #choice #success
  • I think becoming a success is a choice. I have known many people who chose to live on the streets under a bridge. It was their choice. They had a lot going for them and could do a lot to improve their lives, but chose not to. It's all in how you choose to see your life. Do you see the glass half full or half empty?
  • Success is measured differently for everyone.

    Happiness is a a choice. Most people become a "victim" of there own lives. Once people realize there is a moment between stimulus and response they know they can react to any situation how they choose.

    Taking control of your mind is a powerful thing and you can be successful when you learn this. Remember this formula in this order

    Your thoughts lead to your feelings lead to your actions lead to your RESULTS.

    Whatever the mind can conceive and believe the mind can achieve.

    I recommend "Think and grow rich" by Napoleon Hill...changed my life and im more successful then i've ever been.

    Thanks
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    • As stated, success has a different meaning to different people. In internet marketing or online marketing success to one person may be earning enough money to make a mortgage payment while someone else would define success as earning $10k a month.
      reading motivational books such as Think and Grow Rich helps a person define there interpretation of success.
  • Success is a MIND SET and an EXPECTATION in my opinion Ryan.

    We tend to move toward our dominant expectation. If we expect to be lucky, we will be. If we expect to succeed, we will. If we expect to fail, we'll fail.
  • Everything in life is a choice, except death and taxes.
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    • Well taxes are a choice too. You can make the choice not to pay them, although the consequences aren't worth it, you could still make the choice not to pay them.
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    • LOL I agree, but like someone already said you can choose not to pay taxes...and reap the consequences...and I guess if you're bold enough you can choose to see death at your own will, but let's focus more on the good shall we?
  • You have the choice to drive for success. You may fail but eventually you will succeed. If you float through life waiting for success to happen, you may be waiting a long while.
  • Yes i think getting successful is a choice and is achieved by making relevant right choices of actions, which would lead you to your objective of success.
  • Yes success is a choice...

    But it does not happen by accidents. Luck is when preparedness meets opportunity. Just as with luck, success is not a destination, but a path. Success is never measured when arriving at a goal... If it were so, what then?

    Success is to me to make a conscious effort to reach a specific goal while overcoming challenges. Or in other words BECOMING.. As soon as I get there success it to create new goals to BECOME.

    Michael
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  • I think everyone is saying more or less the same thing and, for the most part, I agree with them. Happiness and success are very ambiguous terms. It's nearly imposible to pin them down, let alone understand them. We know when we feel successful or happy, but knowing why and how you reached that state of existence can be very tricky to figure out.

    I think the main question here is not whether it's obtainable through choice, since most of us are of the same mindset already and believe it is absolutely a question of choice. IE: You're not going to find lasting happiness or success unless you decide to seek it. It won't fall into your lap and then stay there unless you actively desire it.

    The main question for me is, how do we decide to understand it, seek it, and ultimately obtain it. Actually, obtaining it is a bit too materialistic. It might be better to refer to ethereal things like this as cultivating them.

    I believe these states of existence are cultivated mind sets that need to be patiently and consciously beheld. Success isn't a certain vague moment in the future when your bank statement hits $10,000,000, or when you sign the lease to a F1 race car. It's a specific single moment that only exists in the present. In the vein of Eckhart Tolle's writings, success is born in the now. It's a state of mind, and not an external circumstance.

    Yes, yes I know some people think this is all the wishy washy talk of some half-believer in alternative thinking, or whatever. I can't make you think this way, and I'm definitely not attempting to undermine your thinking or to convince you in anyway. I just wanted to share my beliefs with you. And, even though I don't always live by these beliefs, as I, like anyone, get swept up in daily life and immodest mind frames, I still believe these kinds of things to the core of myself and treat everyday a new opportunity to express these beliefs through my everyday actions.

    On a final note, I think it should be mentioned that success and happiness are not static affairs. They are definitely dynamic and creative processes that manifest everyday in our desire to lead full and rich lives for ourselves and for our loved ones.
  • This is something I've given hundreds of hours of thought to actually.

    Well I think that all success and happiness IS COMPLETELY AT AN INDIVIDUAL LEVEL.

    The goal in materialistic success is to identify a goal and then hit it...for some people making $1 is huge for others 1 Million isn't enough...it's all personal.

    As far as happiness goes...happiness can't be obtained or found...no amount of seeking can bring you what you want....Happiness is found when we appreciate, accept and love ourselves, others, and the world as it is...to cherish the things you have now rather than to want the things you don't have...

    My personal view of success is simple down at the core: It's to live in harmony.

    To get more specific...I don't want money to be an issue in my life...for that reason I've established my materialistic goal at 10Mil in 2 years while working max 8 hours a day...my goal is by the end of 2 years to have my 10Mil business running on complete auto-pilot.

    This leaves room for self improvement and to ultimately discover the happiness that's locked away inside of me....I want to be able to travel anywhere and everywhere and to do what I want...

    Then I'm going to teach all of this to others...settle down and have a happy and fulfilling life with a loving family...

    That's my idea of a successful life but once again it's completely personal...we all have our own personal ideals in life and it's always best to find yours.

    And just a little hint for everyone...success and happiness are in fact the same thing at the core...what it comes down to is why do we want to be successful? To be happy of course...the trick is happiness can never be attained through pure materialistic wealth...

    I use material wealth as a gateway for personal freedom...to be able to help others build and grow businesses while I focus on myself and do the things I want with my life is my success.

    Aaryn
  • Happiness is a choice?

    Tell that to the guy who got beaten up by his dad and put down his whole childhood

    Tell that to the girl who got raped by her father

    Tell that to the guy who lost his leg in a car accident that his friends stupidity caused.

    Tell that to the guy who is blind or had some health disability.


    Not everyone has a choice, sure everyone has problems but some peoples are too big for them to handle.....is it their fault they get screwed up in life?

    Maybe some will say yes its their fault since they didnt choose to help themselves.

    But its a lot easier for people to say "Do this and do that to fix it" without being that person and feeling their pain.
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    • but you're just looking at the reasons to be unhappy. not unhappiness itself. yes, all those things are horrifying and if it happened to me i'd probably be a very angry person. but at the same time who's decision would it be for me to be angry? at the end of the day it is still my choice. i honestly believe that there is no situation in this world that can defeat a strong spirit. your spirit is the one thing that no one can ever touch, other than the person it belongs to.
      but i suppose it all depends on mindset and individual beliefs.

      as for success, to me it is a choice also. this is because I define success as knowing you did everything within your power to change a situation or reach a certain goal. somethings are out of our control (like whether or not a customer decides to buy from us, or if our site gets ranked on page one) so defining success through sales and money isn't very stable. but if i know that i created a killer product, hired the best copywriter, and marketed it flawlessly then yes, i have succeeded. success is in the choice to labor and try, not in collecting a check
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    • Dude..the fact that bad things happen to you shouldn't determine how happy you are in life.

      It's all about perspective.

      You're saying that one simple aspect in someone's life should cause their entire life to be sh*t....

      And fyi...the people that grow the most and become the happiest have had a horrid past...I have a direct experience with a girl that's been emotionally abused by her boyfriends and family and just been completely stomped on. I'm incredibly close to her and it's something that she only talks to me about...this girl gets stomped on because she puts others before her AND her family life is simply horrid. Her dad and brother are both abusive.

      Yet she's the most beautiful girl I've ever met...yeah sometimes she's unhappy but she's also very happy and genuinely loving. She has her problems and we all do but she doesn't let just a few aspects in her life define her.

      That's just childish....everyone has problems. The only difference in being happy is how you deal, view and react to these problems.

      Aaryn
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      Hi Ernie, good point.

      Sometimes a person's circumstances can be difficult, and we definitely wouldn't blame them if they weren't coping.
      However, I still believe that- ultimately- happiness and success are both a matter of choice.

      For instance, the other day while I was shopping some guy had everyone laughing as he bumped past in his wheelchair saying:
      "Sorry, I'm sorry ... I'm a learner driver!"
      That guy had just lost he ability to walk and he radiated "charisma." (I felt inspired and kind of humbled.)

      The same day I saw a person I know skipping down the sidewalk singing- even though he has down syndrome.

      Then we have people like Sean Stephenson (TimeToStand.com) and Nick Vujicic (LifeWithoutLimbs.org) who are both shining examples that a person can be happy and successful no matter what their challenges may be.

      It's not that I don't emphasize and understand, because that's partly my job, it's just that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that a person can be happy and successful no matter what.
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    • Happiness IS a choice.
      Bad things can happen to anyone, but that doesn't mean you have to stop living and being happy. If you just sit there and cry looking for someone to blame - nothing good is going to happen.
      "is it their fault they get screwed up in life?" - perhaps not. But your pain is not going to go away just because you complain, even if you know who's fault it is that you have been beaten, raped, made disabled.

      Have you heard about the Team Hoyt (father and his disabled son)?
      YouTube - Team Hoyt - RedeemerThey have chosen TO BE HAPPY.
  • Most people don't fail at internet marketing, they just quit before they succeed.
  • You only get one life guys and girls. No matter what happens in it, you have to move forward and make the best of what you have left.

    All aspects of your life are your choice. Yes as stated, bad things will happen even to good people. I think we all know that by now, but has that stopped everyone? No way. There are hugely successful people that have had horrible things happen. They didn't give up and they didn't let themselves lose because of what's happened to them.

    Success is a choice. Happiness is a choice. Yet, so is depression, failure, and torment.

    Those that are truely happy have learned how to turn those horrible things into lessons and life changing moments. They use the power of the human mind to fight through it. It's going to be harder for some then others.

    The only way you will ever lose is if you give up.

    Never give up.

    Travis
    • [ 1 ] Thanks
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    • Thanks Travis, I think a lot of people should hear comments like this more. We do all know bad things happen to good people and we know those who use it to motivate them into successful situations. It's our choice to turn around our good...or unfortunate hand we've been dealt.

      Thanks again!
    • Couldn't describe any better!

      Few years ago I went to the seminar Breakthrough to Success Seminar 2010 FREE Tickets | How To Become Rich Fast
      and learned how to turn any bad experience into lesson and life changing moment I am happier than ever before
      If you have a chance - find motivation and mindset events near you - they can change your life and your attitude.

      100% true
      Petelta - thanks!
      Dina
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  • Success is a moment by moment choice.

    The process is: choose your thoughts. These thoughts generate feelings. These feelings move you into action. The actions bring results. It's a 4 step process with the genesis being the thoughts which you choose.

    Take what you're doing right now. If you're an online entrepreneur you could be choosing to laze out on a Saturday morning or scouring the forums for more knowledge to put into action immediately. Your choice. I was up at 6:40 AM and hitting twitter, Facebook, and making the rounds on work at home forums after being up until 1:30AM last night. It would have been easy to sleep in but I made a choice. Keep in mind that it wasn't a tough choice because I love what I do. Now the meditation which I just finished up with was a more difficult choice because it requires serious discipline to sit when your energy is high but I used my willpower to relax and sit for 20 minutes. Another choice which I made because I strive to be more successful. I could have chosen to work, watch TV, or go back to bed but experience has taught me the more time I devote to personal development the more I enjoy life and the more successful I become.

    You choose to be successful or not by selecting which thoughts to think on a moment by moment basis. There is nothing outside of you which has any bearing over your thinking; thinking is 100% on you.

    This is why it's vital to fill your mind with uplifting thoughts and leave the negative thoughts behind. The more enthusiasm you choose to experience the more successful you become if your thoughts are guided to a definite major purpose. Successful living is a matter of developing a success consciousness. Study the leaders of industry and masters in their respective fields to verify it. Man is mind and his lot in life is the product of his selected thoughts.

    As for success I believe it's being happy first and then doing whatever you love to do for a living while being paid handsomely. Since we choose our lives I don't see the need to have to suffer through financial hardships, stress, or strain when you can choose success and abundance and manifest these things over time.
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  • Success is a choice, but there are some efforts to do to achieve it.
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      True.
      But, then again, what in life that's worth having doesn't take some effort.
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  • I think success is to some extent a choice, it takes perseverance and persistence to obtain. If you *choose* to give up you will not achieve success.
  • I absolutely agree that success is a choice. You make a decision to be successful and you work towards it.
  • I don't think that success is a choice. All of us are in this and any business to be successful. So I would say success is the result of hard work putting together a solid product backed by a solid marketing program and all the other elements that make a business successful.
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    • It seems you kind of contidicted yourself. You just said success is a result of hard work and a solid product and solid marketing. Is it not a choice to put in the work needed to do these things? Just a thought.

      Thanks for your input Donmccobb!!
  • Success ('achievement') is based on performance.

    Performance is based on types of action

    We are always 'acting' in whatever we do. (thinking, sitting down, watching tv ...) and there is a reaction....so it boils down to what kind of action you are taking.

    If you decide to take the type of action that will give you the 'achievement' you desire then you have made a choice.

    Thus success is a choice.

    To your success,
    Chucks
  • I would agree DA, let's not wait...get success while its hot! LOL great video too!
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  • Absolutely. As with Happiness, Income you make, people you associate with.

    Life unfolds with the choices we make
  • Success is the progressive realization of a worthwhile dream. Yes, it is most definitely a choice to take steps towards that dream! :-)
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    • I second that! I mean sometimes bad things happens.. You just gotta keep getting yourself back up and keep going toward your goals. I mean I'm sure some people have it easier than other like being at the right place, associate with right people and right time.. But I'm certain that almost all can be successful if they put their mind into it!
  • I look at this way...

    Success will take care of itself. Do the work and success will follow.

    Be honest with yourself about what you love to do. Then, do it with every piece of energy you've got. Hold nothing back.

    You may "succeed". You may not.

    Either way, you can take great pride in knowing you did your best and THAT is all that matters.

    Just sayin...

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    • I agree totally success is a choice. But I also believe that with that choice you have to make a conscious decision and stick with it that you are going to have success no matter what.

      All to often most people let procrastination rob them of their dreams and goals. That choice has to be made every single day. Day in day out. So nothing can stand in your way. I believe that a choice or decision to have success needs to be heartfelt.

      Once you choose to have success you will. Entertain the thoughts of it not happening your just hurting yourself and your chances of success.

      We have multiple times to make mistakes and correct them, but we only get 1 life and we have to make the best off what we have mind, body and soul.


      Joshua
  • Yes it is a choice, if you believe. You can choose to be successful at anything you want if you truly believe you can be, But if deep down inside you don't think you can be successful, or if you are scared of what success might bring, you won't be successful.....
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    • Motivational speakers usually help with that Make you believe that you can achieve anything you want.

      I have a friend who goes to Christopher Howard's and T. Harv Eker's seminars few times a year - just to get 'charged' .
      From an ordinary webdesigner he turned into a movie producer in just a few years - followed his dream and achieved success.
      I bet his ex wife regrets losing faith in him and going after someone else...

      (T. Harv Eker and Christopher Howard seminar dates - click on Wealth Creation Seminars link in my signature)
  • It depends on the feeling we got. If we allow ourself to feel sucess, then we are success. We are all wanting to have the feeling at the end. why don't you feel success now and get on with life? If you have the empowering success feeling, you will get to a differnet status and things could be very different.
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    • Very interesting thoughts...so are you telling us success is a feeling? If so I think thats a bit disappointing because as we all know sometimes its darn near impossible to control how we feel. After a heartache or other tragic event we feel a certain way, and we just can't help it. When this happens, are we not capable of still being successful?

      I'm not to sure if what you're saying is how I am interpreting what you're saying, but nonetheless I respect your thoughts and appreciate you sharing them...I've got something to think about today :-)
  • It's a choice but not a one-time "okay now I'm choosing to be successful once and for all" kind of choice. It's the accumulation of minute-by-minute success choices.
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  • Definitely, its a decision you get to make on your own whether or not you want to succeed in something or just waste an opportunity and let it pass away.
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    • success is definately a choice. But to become succesful you need to be commited and put in the effort without which success can not be achieved !
  • I think success is a choice. We don't just wake up one morning and find success next to our cereal. I think achieving success is a process. With each progressive step we make we hit our set targets. We have to work for it. It does not always come easy.
  • Everything start in your mind, happiness, success etc.
  • A habit...I like that. Its the same concept as losing weight. You can't just diet, you have to make a commitment to make lifestyle change. Well put!
  • Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome.

    For me, being successful depends on how one person defines being successful...One can say financial freedom is a sure success to anyone...but, if they aren't still happy and contented with what they are having that couldn't be categorized as success...Probably, the ultimate definition of being successful or meeting the success of your life is when the day comes you wake up and you feel you are complete and contented and has no worries on the side...



    Best regards,
    Bob
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    • Exactly! And that's why one can be successful despite tragic events their life may have encountered. It's not about luck, its about the will to surpass the bs that stops you from a smooth ride to completing your goals.

      Thanks BobV!!
  • Success and happiness are choices. We can choose to pursue friendships and relationships that make us happy and we can choose to see things in a positive light. Likewise, we can choose to take the actions and take on the beliefs that will make us successful, or we can choose to wallow in self-pity and limiting beliefs that were programmed into us from social conditioning.
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  • I do think success is choice which everybody's decision. all inspiring books and mindset guides cannot be out of nothing. the one who wrote all those stories were once desperate without money or anything and they made things come true, I am sure if they didn't really suffer in becoming successful they just wouldn't care at all writing a price of inspiring paper for you!

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  • 66

    Hey guys, I was driving to school to take my finals today and the DJ announced that Happiness is a choice. I was wondering if others felt the same applied to success. In business I always question what makes a company or individual successful.