Success and Contentment

Many people go their entire lives not knowing if they have succeeded in anything they have tried. For most people, success is accomplishing the goal they set out to do such as getting a job, running a certain time, getting promoted, helping others or finally buying their own home. These are all great goals to have, but what happens once you've reach that goal? Do you become happy? Is everything else meaningless or suddenly  easier? What now once you have achieved your goal?

This topic was brought up over and over again through various readings I have done such as in John Wooden's "Pyramid of Success" book and Anthony Famiglietti's blog posting on Flotrack titled Contentment. Personally I have adapted both philosophies and created a sort of blended definition of success and content that become interchangeable at certain points. John Wooden is one of the greatest coaches of all time and has easily changed the lives of millions of people through his teachings and approach to coaching. Not only did he accomplish great things as a coach but also as a philanthropist by giving back to those in need and helping whenever approached. Anthony Famiglietti is a 2 time US Olympic runner and a highly talented competitive track runner. In fact I had the opportunity to meet with him and talk for a couple minutes after one of his best 5k races. I was a mere high school student at the time but even then I can tell he was someone different. He kept himself very composed and spoke very intelligently. It only took a couple of minutes for him to become one of my favorite runners and three years later I would read his blogs on flotrack.org and become even more of a fan.

John Wooden and Anthony Famiglietti are two completely different personalities. Wooden was more of a quiet and humble man while 'Fam' is a very charismatic and energetic individual, but yet they both shared something in common. They both strive to be as successful as they can be. John Wooden's famous meaning of success is "piece of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming." Success is then therefor not a result such as buying your dream house or getting promoted, but the act of trying your best and giving it your all which then becomes your character. We live in a society that measures success, value, or self-worth by seeing how much square feet a person lives on, how much money they make a year, what high tech cell phone they use or cars they drive in. However, when we decided to reject that thought process and choose to view success or self-worth as the act of hard work and effort we will surely find piece of mind and content within ourselves.

John Wooden

Anthony Famiglietti

Contentment is almost the opposite of what success is. But yet I managed to sneak the word into the last sentence.  Content means ease of mind as much as it does to accepting the circumstances as they are and being satisfied with them. This is not what success comes from. Success is not letting oneself accept the circumstances as they are. Success should be giving every possible effort to change circumstances for the better. This is where Anthony Famiglietti's blog comes in. He describes the life of a competitor or dreamers as constantly fighting the feeling of success and contentment. One can never achieve their greatest potential if one becomes content with the first feelings of success in their path. That is why content and success must have a constant battle so that one will strive to become the best that they are capable of becoming.

Should we ever stop ourselves from becoming the best? Or maybe one would ask why should we work hard to become the best if we have no idea when we become our best? This only reminds me of the question asked to George Mallroy, "Why do you want to climb Mt. Everest?" which he then simply answered, "Because it is there." The point I am trying to make is that why should we settle and become content with what we have accomplished. Why should we not get as close to our greatest potential possible? Or in the words of Anthony Famiglietti, "I've felt contentment and I've achieved big goals, but now I just want to see what I'm made of."


Perhaps what this society has focused so much on is what others think of their personal success or achievements. Those are mere awards, certificates, or diplomas that really have no value until people give them importance. If we continue to look for rewards or plaques to justify hard work, when will we learn to become humble men? When will we be able to be proud of ourselves without the constant seek of approval and acknowledgement  from others? These are the boundaries that must first be broken to truly feel piece of mind and success at its finest. We must be able to find ourselves and know what we want from life before we chase our dreams and goals. We must never lose who we are through the long journey of life and understand we are still capable of so much more.