Success Built to Last
Creating a Life That Matters
By Jerry Porras, Stewart Emery, and Mark Thompson
Reviewed by Angela Hutchinson
Spirit-Works.net
The three authors of Success Built to Last were on a mission to find out what it is about “Builders” (those who impact their world through significant creativity) that produce truly successful living. What was success anyway? Was it a changing definition as they suspected? This is a book that goes beyond the individual and the pedestal straight to the principles and values that produce “a life that matters”. The authors did not want to indulge in idol worship, they wanted their readers to see that it is possible to be a builder and they were fully prepared to do the work to convey the necessary information.
Success has always been defined with the words: power, fame, and wealth. This narrow view of living has been expanded to expose the diversity of styles, people, and perspectives that exist. “For builders, the real definition of success is a life and work that brings personal fulfillment and lasting relationships and makes a difference in the world in which they live.” The external view of living is now transforming into an inner one, finding meaning in what we do. I think we are evolving, eh?
Starting with the “Mandela Effect”, they begin to hone in on the genius of a real creator and builder. “…the Mandela Effect- when you can create enduring success not because you are perfect or lucky but because you have the courage to do what matters to you.” After conducting 200 face to face interviews over a 10 year span, the keys to purposeful living begin to emerge.
The authors present “Three Essential Elements” of true success:
-Meaning
-Thoughtstyle-“a highly developed sense of accountability, audacity, passion, and responsible optimism”.
-Actionstyle- “effective ways to take action”; turning meaning and thought into action.
To initiate a path to success, one must find what they love to do. Contribution based on passion and meaning. In today’s competitive market, you cannot afford to not love what you do, because others who have passion will possess a drive and commitment that those who don’t simply cannot compete with. “…you must choose a path that you love, for better or worse, because only then will you have the good hearted stubbornness to stretch for you full potential and survive the inevitable slings and arrows that await you on your bold journey.” According to the book, we hunger for passion, not necessarily balance. It’s that feeling in your gut that tells you to attend to the desires of your soul, rather than neglecting them or putting them off for some time in the future. We must take these passions more seriously rather than abandoning them as something frivolous or impossible. It takes courage to live your passions, but the end result is nothing short of fulfillment and true effective leadership. The passion lives on and propels you to go the extra mile, it’s a sort of fuel to drive your forward and give the best you have to give. What is meaningful to you? Once you can figure that out…it is time to address your thoughts.
Builders tend to plow ahead without a need for external validation or recognition. They please themselves by finding meaning, rather than yielding to the opinions of others. Having the courage to follow their dreams and passions, they shut out what attempts to obstruct their path. It is simply enough to do what they love. The most challenging aspect of being a builder is to remove the personal limitation we have set all on our own. When you love what you do so much that you would do it for free, it removes any ego needs to muddy the waters of genius or service.
The authors note in several areas that the Builders they write so highly of are not perfect, and make a note that neither is it necessary to be perfect to harness effective leadership, making the reader feel that becoming a Builder might be possible. I am encouraged by their format of contributive traits, rather than the hero worship of similar venues.
Weakness exists in all of us, even the most successful Builder, and the way to deal with it is to manage it and cope with it, rather than disown it or even overcome it. Often, it is our weakness that leads to our meaning and ultimately to our contribution. “What we consider to be painful offers a window to our soul-to see uniquely who we are and what we must do.”
When we live a life with true meaning, we are empowered and have no need to blame others for what may cause pain. Builders tend to be self responsible because they create with awareness and realize it is all about choice. It is not beneficial to the service or to the server to get lost in illusions and resentments of blame.
True leaders find that it is great to have a plan or a goal, but they also leave a certain amount of flexibility for life to happen, often times bringing even greater outcomes. Builders do well with “ambiguity”. There are times that you never know what will happen but you act anyway, realizing we never have complete control.
Another point the authors make is that contention can be a positive, building experience that can bring inspiring outcomes forth. Allowing others a voice is a positive thing, silence can be deafening and lethal. “it’s about getting people to be fully expressed-passionately engaged, giving their all-and still enabling everybody else to be heard, too.”
Building a Life of Success is about Meaning. It brings fulfillment to those who make the contribution to the world and it benefits the world to receive the fruits of such significant effort and inspiration. Success Built to Last is an incredible undertaking that brings vital information to a culture that is hopefully recovering from a definition gone askew. Success isn’t about status, power, money, or the big office. When finding your way in life…it is the meaning that will bring fulfillment and motivation to the journey. The final destination can be a let down when it’s meaningless and empty. The journey toward meaning and guided by passion is full from the beginning. Why not start now?