Success versus Significance
To me, I think of success as money and having enough of it to buy and to have lots of nice stuff (most of it unnecessary I might add). To drive a luxury car (my Taurus, aka the Tortoise, does not exactly scream success), the ability to take nice vacations (I love to travel), and being able to take my girls to the Legends shopping any darn time I want to, not just around pay day. Success is an individual thing, but in my mind it centers on money. Success can be a very selfish thing if you are not careful. I believe that if I have a lot of money, people will view me as successful. I do consider myself somewhat successful even though I live on a meager teacher’s salary, but that is not enough for me. I want to matter in this world, to make a difference, and to leave a legacy. And that my friend is where significance comes into play.
Significance means making a difference and adding value in the lives of others.
The CD I was listening to this morning on my commute to work (while driving the speed limit I might add) talked about significance and what would be said at your eulogy. Just for clarification, a eulogy is a speech in praise of a person who has died. Who would come to your funeral, and what people would remember about you? It was a little on the depressing side to say the least, but it got me to thinking. What would be said in that eulogy???? Would anyone even bother showing up at my funeral? After much reflection (remember teachers are great at reflection) the word that comes to mind is family. I want to be known as a great mom, sister, auntie and daughter. The question I ask myself is how is that coming along? My response, not very well but I am working on putting those relationships back to a priority status. My whole “funk” and skewed priorities have affected my relationship with those people, the people that mean the most to me.
John C. Maxwell would say the five differences between success and significance are as follows:
Motives: With success, my motives may be selfish; with significance, my motives cannot be selfish. Significance and selfishness are incompatible.
Influence: With success, my influence is limited; with significance, my influence is unlimited.
Time: Success can last a lifetime; significance can last several lifetimes.
Focus: Success asks, “How can I add value to myself?” Significance asks, “How can I add value to others?”
Reward: If I pursue success, my joy is the result of my success; if I pursue significance, my joy is the result of others’ success.
This gives me a lot to think about in terms of how I view my life and how I am living my life. My mom died when I was 18, two days before my 19th birthday. When I think about the life that I am living, I always wonder, would she be proud of whom I have become? In a lot of ways, I would have to say no. Family was the most important thing in her life and it showed in everything she did from the canning she would do to the clothes she would sew for the family. Ahhh, that brings back memories of the snowmobile suits she sewed for everyone in the family for one year. Purple and green, most lovely. She put the needs of her family before her own needs. She was the most unselfish person I have ever known. I strive to be more like her and right now I am falling desperately short.
Remember that life is a journey that takes time. It takes commitment, practice, and reflection to become the best person you can be.
Pursuing significance takes us out of our comfort zone. Ahhh, this is where getting off my comfort couch comes into play.
Maybe I need to take a look at my Living Life List and see if all of these things align with my wanting to live a life of significance. My bet is that I am going to need to make some changes to that list….and that is okay!
How do you view success and significance? What would said in your eulogy?
“Every man's life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another.” ~ Ernest Hemingway
Here’s to getting off the comfort couch and living life ~ Lisa
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