Strive To Achieve – Success May Follow
My mother drew a distinction between achievement and success. She said that ‘achievement is the knowledge that you have studied and worked hard and done the best that is in you. Success is being praised by others, and that’s nice, too, but not as important or satisfying. Always aim for achievement and forget about success.’
Helen Hayes
US actress (1900 – 1993)
I was introduced to this quote today on the occasion of a friend’s 50th birthday. One of her treats for the day was to go on a scavenger hunt to visit people who represented the ‘sages’ of each decade in her life. In response to correctly answering a question, she was rewarded with a relevant quotation and a clue to the next person to visit. The ‘Sage of Achievement’ (representing her 40’s) provided the quote above.
Being in my late 30’s and often intensely engaged in the game of achievement, this is a great reminder. As I reflect on the statement, I recognize the truth of it in my own experiences, but still feel a strong craving for the outside stamp of approval. But that is a foolish goal to chase.
Praise and recognition from others is outside of your control. You cannot force someone to like or appreciate you and some people are psychologically incapable of healthy relationships at all. If you are constantly chasing external validation you often end up chasing ghosts.
It is within your own control to give your best effort at something. You can take action to improve if you fall short of your goals. Best of all, you are the ultimate judge of whether you gave your best effort.
At first glance it might seem like you’d be able to cheat and just pat yourself on the back no matter what, but reality suggests that we are our own harshest critics. It is true for me.
What great little quote. I hope you like it as much as I do.
The Go-To Guy
