True Success in Times of Change

Is there wisdom for the way forward from where we are right now? How can we get from the mire of our current crises to the sort of sustainable future we all want? From the ancient Chinese and Greek philosophers, across cultures and through to the present day, the wisest people who have ever thought about positive achievement have left us bits and pieces of powerful advice for attaining true success in anything we do. I've put these ideas together into a simple framework of seven universal conditions. Let me lay them out briefly and we'll see what they mean.

The 7 Cs of Success

For the most deeply satisfying and sustainable forms of success, we need to bring into any challenge, opportunity, endeavor, or relationship:

(1) A clear CONCEPTION of what we want, a vivid vision, a goal clearly imagined.

(2) A strong CONFIDENCE that we can attain that goal.

(3) A focused CONCENTRATION on what it takes to reach the goal.

(4) A stubborn CONSISTENCY in pursuing our vision.

(5) An emotional COMMITMENT to the importance of what we're doing.

(6) A good CHARACTER to guide us and keep us on a proper course.

(7) A CAPACITY TO ENJOY the process along the way.

There are certainly other concepts often associated with success, but it's my belief that every other one is just a version or application of one of these in specific situations. The 7 Cs give us the most universal, logical, and comprehensive framework for success. We'll take just a moment to look at each. And we start with our need for a goal, or set of goals.

(1) A clear CONCEPTION of what we want, a vivid vision, a goal clearly imagined.

In any facet of our lives, we need to think through as clearly as possible what we want to accomplish, and what we'd like to see happen. True success starts with an inner vision, however incomplete it might be. The world as we find it is just the raw material for what we can make it. We are meant to be artists with our energies and our lives. And the only way to do that well is to structure our actions around clear goals.

(2) A strong CONFIDENCE that we can attain the goal.

Inner attitude is a key to outer results. Philosopher William James learned from an array of champions that proper confidence should be operative in all of our lives. In any new enterprise, we need upfront faith in what we're doing. Sometimes we may have to work hard to generate this attitude. But it's worth the work it takes, because it raises our prospects for success. The best confidence arises out of competence and then augments it. It's of course no guarantee of success. But it is among the chief contributors to it.

(3) A focused CONCENTRATION on what it takes to reach the goal.

Big dreams just lead to big disappointments when people don't learn how to chart their way forward. Success at anything challenging comes from planning your path and then putting that plan into action. Gestalt psychologists have taught us that a new mental focus generates new perceptual abilities. Concentrating your thought and energy in a new direction, toward a clear goal, you begin to see things that you might have missed before, and that relate to the goal you've set. This focus allows you to plan and then act, and adjust along the way. Even a flawed plan can start you off and lead you to where you can discover a better one. A focused concentration of thought and action is key.

(4) A stubborn CONSISTENCY in pursuing our vision.

The word 'consistency' comes from two Greek roots -- a verb meaning "to stand" and a particle meaning "together." Consistency is all about standing together. Do my actions stand together with my words? Do my reactions and emotions stand together with my deepest beliefs and values? Do the people I work with stand together? This is what consistency is all about. It's a matter of unifying your energy and efforts in a single direction. Inconsistency defuses power. Consistency moves us toward our goals.

(5) An emotional COMMITMENT to the importance of what we're doing.

Passion is the core of extraordinary success. It's a key to overcoming difficulties, seizing opportunities, and getting other people excited about your projects. Too much goal setting in the modern world has been an exercise of the intellect but not also of the heart. Philosophers appreciate the role of rationality in human life. But we know that it's not just the head, but also the heart, that can guide us on to the tasks right for us, and keep us functioning at our peak.

(6) A good CHARACTER to guide us and keep us on a proper course.

Character inspires trust. And trust is necessary for people to work together well. Good character is required for great collaboration. In a world in which innovative partnerships and collaborative synergies are increasingly important, the moral foundation for working well together matters more than ever before. And good character does a lot more than just provide for trust. It has an effect on each individual's own freedom and insight. Bad character not only corrupts, it blinds. A person whose perspective has been deeply skewed by selfishness or mendacity cannot understand the world in as perceptive a way as someone whose sensibilities are ethically well formed. Good character makes sustainable success more likely.

(7) A CAPACITY TO ENJOY the process along the way.

The more you can enjoy the process of what you're doing, the better the results tend to be. It's easier to set creative goals. Confidence will come more naturally. Your concentration can seem effortless. Consistency will not be a battle. The emotional commitment will flow. And issues of character will not be as difficult to manage. A capacity to enjoy the process is intertwined with every other facilitator of success in a great many ways.

These conditions of success are all intimately and deeply connected. They constitute a unified framework of tools with which we can work our way toward the most fulfilling forms of achievement in everything we do. They will help us to make our proper mark in the world. They will move us in the direction of sustainable and satisfying attainment. And as a philosopher, I have just one question: Why should we ever settle for anything less?

Comments

[sleeprun]

Tom,

And you and I disagree and are on very different pages, but for the sake of open discussion:

- Digestibility and marketing appeal: A+
- Originality: D lot's of happy-talk, 7 Habits pablum out there now, more in fact as people's lives actually fall apart
- Tracking reality: D again - if only life were that simple....

As with all this stuff, why run from the richness and complexity of what people are facing now? 'Course, that wouldn't quiet fit into the neato-keano kumbaya editorial (sales) guidelines of HufPo.

...you will keep at it though...a­s will I....and we'll reconvene at your next post. Dig a leetle deeper T... don't shy away from, or repress, the darker parts of life!

[ricklondon]

Tom you never let us down. The 7 C's (are worth sailing..n­o pun intended. This one probably hits closest to home, as I grew up in the worst of the fifty states education system, and not much was really consumed (due to boredom etc). I was fortunate to leave that system and seek other/better education.
I appreciate the way you (once again), take a myriad of philosophies and simplify them into seven easy steps. That (in cartooning) is called "extreme editing". Not an easy task, I would imagine in philosophy for certain. I am particularly glad you added number 7 as to me, that is the one our formal education has ignored for far too long (learning to enjoy the process) because if one is making millions or billions of dollars per year, and not enjoying the process, they are not a success. It is only in doing what one loves, one's passion that success finds them, not they find success. Thank you for describing it in such a way. I hope I get to continue to sail the 7 c's. Great story.

[RichardBassett]

Tom, I thoroughly enjoyed your article on the 7Cs. As toridcaprio posted, your 7Cs are used in the field of addiction. As a counselor, I touch on several of the 7Cs of success in formulating treatment plans, discovering early recovery difficulties, aftercare and sustaining a healthy understanding of ongoing recovery. I changed careers mid life from the medical profession into the social service field and several of your concepts assisted in my own sucess story. But it is never ending. There are always new goals to reach for myself and my clients with persistance at the core of my own philosophy. Recovery is not only about abstaining but it is finding comfort in a new way of living. I follow you on Twitter and you are truly inspirational. I am enjoying the process of reading your wise words and am impressed with the honesty that comes from them.

[TheDailyBlonde]

Yet another great post, Tom. The last three points are so important to me: commitment, character, and the capacity to enjoy.....­.

[julia7]

The structured, alliterative nature of your achievement system is catchy. You've used your 7Cs in this column before, I've noticed, with some minor editing. It bears repeating; as all worthy systems do.

I'd suggest an 8th "C" - Common Sense. Some of the wisest amongst us never wrote anything down, but rather swept floors, diapered babies, and handed down their wisdom... to their daughters.

[HuffyLady]

Thanks, Tom, for this succinct formula for success
I would add one more C, however, COMMITMENT - without which sustained effort long or short term is unlikely.
I suppose Buddah's words "You are what you think" might summarize it all quite nicely. And, indeed, help us change the world.

[authenticstyle]

Tom,
I'm all inspired by your 'C POWER' :) - Thanks for the great words of wisdom!

[Ariaa]

Once again Tom V. Morris has enlightened us! Everyone has gifts and something to contribute to humanity and yet without the 7 C"s little would ever find form on this planet. As we look toward a future ladened with socio-economic issues it behooves us all to become more aware, more diligent, more focused and more attuned to one another. Our new mantra should be "What would add to humanity and leave a lasting mark?' Tom has given us inspiration and wise tools to carve a future which is illumined with creativity, prosperity and lasting return. Thank you Tom for sharing your special gifts with all!

[Ariaa]

Once again Tom has enlightened us! Everyone has gifts and something to contribute to humanity and yet without the 7 C"s little would ever find form on this planet. As we look toward a future ladened with socio-economic issues it behooves us all to become more aware, more diligent, more focused and more attuned to one another. Our new mantra should be "What would add to humanity and leave a lasting mark?' Tom has given us inspiration and wise tools to carve a future which is illumined with creativity, prosperity and lasting return. Thank you Tom for sharing your special gifts with all!

[LucidAnna]

Oh dear, first of all I'd like to thank you for not using the word "recession" in your article. Loved "the Times of Change." Your observation of the 7 Cs is so accurate. I'd say the clear conception/the goal clearly imagined strikes me as the most important, maybe because I believe that a strong basis is crucial to unfold the story of the success.

[thelittlefluffycat]

I am so glad to see "conception" as the foundation of this list -- I think so many times we fail to succeed because we don't even know, really, what it is we want in the first place! Learning enough to choose a goal in life really marks our conception, for our second birth, as a fully realized being.

[toridicaprio]

This guideline should be used in rehabs or programs where people are looking not only to overcome something, but to understand the process of getting there.