Hmmm very interesting post.
What a coincidence that my favourite success quote was made by your namesake Earl Nightingale.
Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal
Success is peace of mind, which, is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing, you made the effort to become the best of which, you are capable of becoming.”
You would imagine that being intelligent would give you an edge when it comes to being successful, but this is not necessarily the case.
If someone has a million dollars in their bank account, most intelligent people would consider that person successful, however if the respective person inherited ten million dollars and lost nine million over 5 years in a failing business, then would you still class that person as successful?
Firstly it will depend on how you measure success. Intelligent people who aspire to be successful tend to have higher standards for themselves and therefore a much higher personal benchmark to aim for. On that basis, success must be a relative term and must be very personal and specific to each individual.
For me Success = Doing Something You Love and excelling at your pace.
Thanks for posting.
Your definition seems close to what I said too. It makes things alot simpler.