Success

This past week, in a Collaborative Marketing seminar, I came across a quote attributed to Jonathan Martensson that really struck me.  It was . . .  “Success will never be a big step in the future, success is a small step taken just now.”  All too often we (myself included) view success as something to be attained later after significant focus and hard work.  But I was struck by the thought that we each have the ability to achieve  success right now by taking a small step.  That step could seem small–a chosen attitude, smiling rather than frowning, taking the time to connect with others–the list is endless and personal to each of us.  Yet, how powerful those steps can truly be in our own lives and the in the lives of others.

I am reminded also of a poem that is often attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson which takes the idea of “small steps” and reveals the often missed effect on others:

Success

To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.

What will you do to be successful today?

Abigail

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