The Seven Cs of Success

I recently read an article, 'Running with the Seven Cs of Success' (Running & Philosophy, a marathon for the mind ed: Michael W. Austin), below are the seven Cs. (It's practically verbatim)

Condition 1: We need a clear conception of what We want, a Vivid Vision, a Goal clearly imagined

Let all your effort be directed toward some object, let it always keep some goal in view! (Seneca)

"The Quest for Success", Morris writes, "always begin with a target. We need something to aim at, something to shoot for." To be successful in any challenging, worthwhile endeavor, we need goals both to motivate and to guide us.

Condition 2: We need a Strong Confidence that We can achieve our Goal

Self-trust is the first secret of success. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

"Our life" said the Roman emperor and philosopher Marcus Aurelius (AD 121 - 80), "is what our thoughts make it." This is a point on which philosophers, coaches and successful people in all walks of life agree: Winners believe in themselves. They are confident, enthusiastic, and consistently positive.

Condition 3: We Need a Focused Concentration on What it Takes to Reach that Goal

We should work hard with all the courage we can muster, ignoring any distractions, and struggle with a single purpose. (Seneca)

Meeting challenges, running goals requires dedication, planning, and sacrifice. Many start out like a ball of fire, but many fall victim to distraction, adversity or the "worries and riches of the pleasures of life" (Luke 8:14). To get from A to B to C and D, where D is some performance at the very top of our powers, requires an uncommon singleness of purpose. Those who succeed prioritize in ways that others may find difficult to understand.

Condition 4: We Need a Stubborn Consistency in Pursuing Our Vision, a Determined Persistence to Achieve Our Goal

He who would arrive at the appointed end must follow a single road and not wander through many ways (Seneca)

We all love to take credit for our successes while blaming external uncontrollable factors for our failures. It's never our fault; it's always _______(fill in the blank with the appropriate excuse). The truth is sometimes we are to blame for our lack of success. We yield to temptation, backslide, act inconsistently with our goals and values. We need to nurture tenacity.

Condition 5: We need an Emotional Commitment to the Importance of What we're doing

To Succeed at anything you need Passion. (George Sheehan)

"Nothing great was ever achieved without passion" said Ralph Waldo Emmerson, in life we need passion - a robust sense of the value of what we are doing - to energize us, to motivate us to overcome challenges and disappointments, to prod us to dig deeper, and to give us the courage to take risks. So how does one sustain enthusiasm and commitment over the long haul? There are two keys to keeping our emotional commitments. The first is imagination. The most passionate people use their imaginations well. They envision themselves in new compelling ways, or find some new way to express their challenge. The second key is to continually set new goals.

Condition 6: We need a good character to Guide us keep us on a proper course

Character is Destiny (Heraclitus 530 - 470 BC)

Is a good ethical character necessary for success? No. Sometimes the 'wicked do prosper'. Scoundrels do rise to positions of power, wealth and fame. Nevertheless there is a strong case to be made between goodness and success. Now being "good" may not get you worldly or material success but it may be necessary for "true success". The kind of success that is longterm, deeply satisfying and open to using the best of our potential. Those who cultivate a deep sense of self-discipline understand this and become attractive to others. I mean who wants to help a jerk? But lots of people will help someone who they perceive to be "real" and a genuinely good person. This is a very relevant real-world lesson. Rarely is anything of great value accomplished alone.

Condition 7: We Need a Capacity to Enjoy the Process along the Way

Life must be played as play. (Plato 427 - 347 BC)

Some kinds of goods, Plato reminds us are both desirable for their own sake and also desirable for as means to other ends. Happiness is such a good. Happiness is an intrinsic good, something we want for its own sake. But it's also an instrumental good, a means to another good. So for example, most runners don't run because they want to lose weight or get fit, they run because they enjoy it. It becomes a huge part of their life, of who they are. The result they enjoy a contentment from being absorbed in the process of running. The feeling of contentment illustrates a fundamental insight into happiness - "the hedonistic paradox". The paradox is this: Usually the happiest people are not those who make happiness their goal. Rather, the happiest people tend to be those who experience happiness as a by-product of other things they value and enjoy, such as loving relationships and engaging in rewarding work. Runners understand this paradox because they live it daily. They find happiness through sweat, sacrifice and struggle. To most non-runners this is a complete enigma. Cars pass a lonely runner on the road - muscles aching, lungs burning. Why would anyone want to do that? The runner in turn barely notices the car. For her, reality is this road, this feeling, this moment. Soon she will be back to her life of deadlines, piano practices and endless loads of laundry. But for the moment there is nothing but this road...for her, journey and destination have fused. Success is now.