Success is a profound word. If a professor were to ask the class who wants to be successful in their career, I would be willing to bet that every hand in the room would be raised regardless of it being a business, science or engineering class. However, these different majors will probably each define success differently.
Can success actually be defined so that it can be measured across differing fields and vocations? What accurately constitutes success? As a sophomore in college trying to look at the bigger scope of things in life, I find that I am inept at knowing how to define success. I wanted to learn from someone who is further along in life and who has achieved what can generally be accepted as success. So I turned my attention to a man who is a head coach in the NFL.
Achieving that position seems to indicate that he has found some measure of success. However, he has also won arguably the most prestigious championship in all of sports, the Super Bowl. Moreover, he has been involved with numerous charitable organizations, and is a great parent to six children. He seems to me to be the ideal person who would know how to define success. His name is Tony Dungy, and I believe he fittingly defines success in his memoir, “Quiet Strength.”
Though “society tends to define success in terms of accomplishments and awards, material possessions, and profit margins,” Tony Dungy argues these things are not real measures of success. Perhaps you have found, as he has, that these things society defines as success are fleeting and often times do not bring about happiness.
Tony Dungy goes on to talk about success by saying, “God gives each of us unique gifts, abilities, and passions. How well we use those qualities to have an impact on the world around us determines how ‘successful’ we really are. If we get caught up in chasing what the world defines as success, we can use our time and talent to do some great things. We might even become famous. But in the end, what will it mean? What will people remember us for? Are people’s lives better because we lived? Did we make a difference? Did we use to the fullest the gifts and abilities God gave us? Did we give our best effort, and did we do it for the right reasons?
“God’s definition of success is really one of significance – the significant differences our lives can make in the lives of others. This significance doesn’t show up in win-loss records, long resumes or trophies gathering dust on our mantels. It’s found in the hearts and lives of those we’ve come across who are in some way better because of the way we lived.”
What significance has my life made in others? This is a powerful question in which I need to examine in my own life. These words have struck a chord with me, and I need to evaluate success based on the significant difference I have made in others’ lives. At the end of the day (or at the end of a life) people are what truly matter in life.
Tony Dungy is man of great faith in God, and he believes that his purpose in life is to glorify God. This is why there are numerous references to God throughout his book, or if you ever listen to him being interviewed.
In the two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, Coach Dungy focused on Matthew 16:26 in which Jesus asks, “And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?” His team “could gain all the accolades and success of this world yet lose touch with their priorities, their principles, and the God who loves them.”
Again, this is consistent with his view of success – the things of this world are meaningless without having a positive impact on the people around us.
Lastly, the writer of the foreword to the book describes the payoff of a faith such as Tony Dungy’s as “far better than anything the material world can offer. In this world, one can never be satisfied. The reward of remaining patient and obedient to the will of God is that life becomes fulfilling and satisfying…complete.”
These words have a more potent and bigger meaning when you take into context the life of the writer. The person who wrote these words has achieved enormous fame and fortune, yet he does not find fulfillment in the things of this world either. Who is the writer? Perhaps you’ve heard of Denzel Washington before.
In summation, what is success? Denzel Washington and Tony Dungy are two men who have achieved enormous fame, wealth and achievements in both of their respective careers. Yet, they do not define success in these terms. They realize that the things of this world are unfulfilling, but that true success is found in obedience to God and making a significant positive impact on the lives of others. What will people remember you for? Are people’s lives better because you lived?
About the writer:
Stephen Reiff is a sophomore business major. He can be reached for contact at [email protected].
