There may be no word more discussed, a life experience more ardently pursued, planned for… than success.

Whatever the endeavor. Succeeding is in play. Always the measure we apply when grading how we’ve done. Did we achieve success or not? But remember… our concept of success is ours and ours alone. We want to be careful not to compare another’s concept of success with our own. Someone can’t swim. He learns to! Someone has the chance be the first in their family to go to college. And she gets in! Both are successes! Their successes!

Our wins need not be something grand. Although yes, some of us do succeed doing grand things. Building a company. Climbing Mt. Everest. All that’s really needed though is a picture of a future you prefer. Your preferred future. A day from now. Five years from now. Then with intention and the actioning of the steps to get there? You’re on your way!

I attended a seminar once. The lecturer asked this, “If you fire at a target and miss the bullseye, what do you do next?” No one replied. Accept failure? Check the gun site? Ponder what you did wrong? Nope… his simple answer was, “Fire again!” Forget all the “shoulda, coulda, wouldas.” Success and failure are inevitabilities. They’re just out there as two outcomes. It’s our choice of how we move toward… define success or failure for ourselves. Go for it! Always try again. Fire again! And again.

Success is never final… failure is never fatal.

Kirby Smart is the coach of the Georgia Bulldogs. He addressed 80,000 rabid GA fans the day after his team won this year’s National Championship. “The last few years I could taste success. It was right out there in front for us, just within our grasp. We had to go out and get it. Strive to succeed.” Like so many of us, Kirby Smart had planned. He’d strategized. He envisioned for his team what success would look like… feel like. “It’s out there men. Let’s go get it!” That’s what he’d done before. Only to see GA fall twice, losing in the final game for the Championship.

Then, here’s what Smart said to the cheering crowd this day…

“This year I told our guys, ‘new plan!’ Here’s what we need to do today. Here’s what we need to do tomorrow. So let’s start with today. Once done, not before, we’ll move on to tomorrow. We put our heads down. Execute what needs to get done. Now and next. Everyday. Everyday. That’s it. That’s all.”

“So that’s what we did. Success? Really never focused on what was ‘out there’ for us. We did what we had to do. Every day. Each team member took responsibility for his role in getting it done. You got it… everyday.

“And all you Bulldog fans!! We stopped chasing success. We Stopped only dreaming and imagining. We simply put our heads down and focused on the things we needed to do. Each and every day. Met our daily goals. And rather than going out there, looking for, striving to find success? Guess what… SUCCESS FOUND US!

We did what had to be done. The stuff right in front of our face.

And… SUCCESS FOUND US!

Success is personal. “What’s success for me?” Good. Too aggressive? Less so? An adage I’ve heard, “Always be a little in over your head.“ Your desires must exceed your grasp. Or no growth. You’re just treading water.

Success is something we all pursue in our own way. But remember. You have to own it or your efforts will come up short. Take the time to prepare yourself to do what needs to be done… everyday.

And SUCCESS WILL FIND YOU.