Best Hearing

My kitchen ceiling.

Today, Jeff and I had a conversation about what success really means. To him, success means achieving your goals to the fullest and leaving nothing behind. He firmly believes that talent and hard work will get you whatever you want in life.

I wholeheartedly agree with Jeff. My own definition of success is the feeling of satisfaction after going through a multitude of obstacles to reach your goals. It's quite similar to the feeling you get after running a marathon (or a mile for the likes of me) -- throughout the entire thing, you keep thinking, "I will make it. I am exhausted but I will make it no matter what," and once you cross the finish line, amidst the heavy panting and gasping for air, you sigh in relief. That huge, final, satisfying sigh, is success. You are finally where you want to be, after lots and lots of hard work, suffering, and determination. You made it. You succeeded.

Felix Dennis is a British magazine publisher who founded Dennis Publishing, which housed Maxim and a multitude of other magazines and newspapers, in 1973. He was an unemployed 25-year-old living in an old roofless apartment with chump change in his pocket. He asked a buddy to help him start a small magazine publication, and from there, they managed to borrow a few typewriters and printers. After setting up an office in his apartment, Felix Dennis and his friend contacted many, many, many distributors and finally found one who was willing to distribute their magazine at no cost. After a lot of patience, frustration, sleepless nights, endless networking, cutting costs, and finding a way around everything, their magazine began to become more popular and they took on a few more projects, which led to more projects, and so on. Today, Dennis Publishing is one of the world's leading independent publishers. Business-wise, Felix Dennis is a very successful man. He built his business from the ground up. He ran, ran, and ran, and now he has long crossed the finish line. He sighed in relief. He succeeded.

Many see Donald Trump as a successful man. I don't. When his father, who was a wealthy land developer, passed away, Donald inherited his money and business. While he did capitalize the business, he still did not work for it. It was just handed to him on a silver platter. He just walked through the marathon, and when he crossed the finish line, he shrugged and said, "About time." I wonder, if Donald Trump was born into a poor family with no connections or inheritance whatsoever, would he have worked as hard as Felix Dennis did to build his empire? Would he have become a household name? I doubt it. The guy was just dealt a lucky hand.

Everyone has their own definition of success. I just know that when I succeed by my own means, when my hard work comes to fruition, when Jeff and I build our dream house, when I have a book published and a website up and running, when we are able to smile and say "life is good" every single day, I can finally feel comfortable and content. I can finally lean back in my seat and sigh. That huge, final, satisfying sigh.

I can't wait.