Principles for Success: “Struggle Well” | Episode 8

Principles for Success: An Ultra Mini-Series Adventure in 30 Minutes and in Eight Episodes

Episode 8: Struggle

Well, so far I described how I learned to confront my own realities, my problems, my mistakes, and weaknesses, and how I surrounded myself with others who could do things better than I could. This was the most effective way I discovered from making great decisions. This is not the normal way of being, but through this approach, I became very successful.

Being successful enabled me to meet extraordinarily successful people and see how they think. I've discovered that their journeys were similar to mine. You might not know it, but they all struggle, and they all have weaknesses that they all get around by working with people who see risks and opportunities that they would miss. Over time, I learned that by nature, most people's greatest strengths are also connected to their most significant weaknesses.

Striving hard for big things is bound to lead you to painful falls; it's just part of the process. Such setbacks will test you. They sort people. Some think hard about what caused their setbacks, learn lessons, and continue progressing toward their goals, while others decide that this game is not for them and get off the field.

I've come to realize that success is not a matter of attaining one's goals. I found that when I reached each new higher level of success, I really remain satisfied. The things we are striving for are just the bait. Struggling to get them forces us to evolve, and it is this struggle toward personal evolution with others that is the reward.

I no longer wanted to get across the jungle but instead wanted to find greater and greater challenges to go after, surrounded by great people working together on a shared journey. Eventually, the success of the mission and the well-being of the people alongside me became more important than my own success. I also started to see beyond myself and wanted others to be successful.

When I'm no longer here, I realize that if I fail to do that, I will be a failure. I struggle with this now. We all struggle with different things at different times until we either choose to give up or until we die and become part of the larger evolutionary story. This is how all machines work and are recycled through time.

When a machine breaks down, its parts go back into the system to become parts of new machines that also evolve through time. Sometimes this makes us sad because we've become very attached to our machines, but if you look at it from the higher level, it's really beautiful to observe how the machine of evolution works.

Now you must decide for yourself how you will evolve. Forget about where these principles came from; just assess whether or not they are useful to you and evolve them to suit your own needs. As with all of life's decisions, what you do with them is ultimately up to you. My only hope for you is that you have the courage to struggle and evolve well, to make your life as great as it can be.

Thank you and goodbye. [Music]