Post Shift Podcast #102 - Success — Soole Hospitality Concepts

Success 101

Sure, everybody wants to be successful, but what is the true meaning of success?

Success is somewhat analogous to accomplishment and can mean the attainment of any personal or professional short or long-term goal. It is a continuously evolving, growing concept. But who sets the criteria, and how do you tell success and failure apart? Read on to find out!

Success Is Relative:

There is no set definition of success and no particular goal you can achieve to be labeled 'successful.' Success is a personal concept, directly dependent on who you are and what you uphold as valuable. For instance, success can mean getting a new car for one person while it can mean being able to balance work and family for another, or even something as simple as getting an A can be called success. In short, the answer to the question ‘what is success?’ depends on the answer to ‘who are you?’ and ‘what do you want from life?’ The only affirmative is relativity. The true definition of success stems from your expectations from life and yourself, both as an individual and as a member of society.

The Metrics of Success:

How do you measure success?

Can you quantify it in terms of money, knowledge, power, or even happiness?

This again relies on your goals and aspirations. The key is to first evaluate what matters most to you in life and then live your life trying to reach those points. Remember to take baby steps, celebrate small achievements and never give up on yourself. If you don’t measure success in terms of what’s important, you won’t be able to get there. The reason being that you won’t be directing your efforts towards the goals that you truly want to be fulfilled. And that leads to our next point- self-satisfaction.

Success In Terms Of Self-Satisfaction:

Self-satisfaction is pivotal to success. Peace of mind and being comfortable in your skin is crucial to happiness. Identify what your motivation in life is. What really gets you going? Do you do things for money, or is it for happiness? Maybe you like playing games because it gives you a sense of thrill. You might like to cook, write or draw because it makes you happy. Or you might do it because it makes money. No matter how ‘successful’ you might seemingly be, it won’t matter if you’re not content with yourself. If you look in the mirror and feel disappointed with yourself, other people’s words of encouragement, or even dejection for that matter, will not hold any substantial weight. Now you might be asking, ‘How do I get a taste of this self-satisfaction you speak so highly of?’ The answer to that lies in aligning your goals with your life’s purpose.

Aligning Your Goals With Your Core Values:

Our core values shape the basic elements of our persona and dictate our work ethic. Thus, it’s safe to say that they reflect our notion of desirability and are an integral part of who we are. Irrespective of what your core values essentially are- whether you’re a family man, a loyal friend, or make no compromise over honesty- they should align with the goals you have set for yourself. Take a step back and ask yourself, ‘Is this what I want?’ Do your goals, in any way, contribute to advancing your life purpose?

Success Is Big On Growth:

Deepak Chopra said, “Success is a matter of constant growth.” And that’s as real as it gets!

You are not the same person you were, say two years ago. Similarly, your goals are also not the same, and that’s not bad at all! Things change, and people change- it’s called growth. For example, as a bachelor, you might be insanely driven to be an entrepreneur. But you met the love of your life and just decided to take things slow because you no longer feel the need or want to be as invested in your work.

As opposed to the common idea, changing your mind is not a negative development because you can’t fit a square peg from two years ago into a round hole, and you shouldn't have to. Change is good. It means you’ve evolved your mentality. Embrace it. Liberate yourself! And keep evolving and improving yourself as well as your idea of life and success.

What’s The Takeaway?

I want you to take a step back and analyze the last decade. You might wonder, 'what if that one thing hadn't happened?' And let me tell you, if that hadn’t happened, you wouldn't be where you are now. Everything that happens is meant to happen, and it leads you to your destiny. You are exactly where you need to be, every second of your life. Don’t base your success on somebody else's life. Your personal concept of success is perfect as it is. You might be in a bad patch right now, but just know that things will change and tomorrow will be better. You’ve come a long way, but it's not over yet!

As Churchill said, “Success is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.”

Share a dram with the hospitality industry’s top global talents: bartenders, venue owners, distillers and industry aficionados. Shawn Soole has lived, breathed, and imbibed hospitality for decades. Now, he delves into the advice, opinions, and provocative stories that are helping to define the creative, culturally-necessary space of ‘modern hospitality’—covering topics from front-of-house service, to back-end business operations, and every inch between.