Success vs. Victory
Some people in life might be successful but victorious. Some might be victorious but not successful.
You might be asking: what are you talking about? What’s the difference?
Well, the difference is whether they have a mission or cause. You can only be victorious if your mission wins.
Let me explain:
Success is a measurement given to you by the world:
How much money you are making
How high you are climbing at your company
How big your house is
How much status you obtain in society
etc.
Most people in this world try to achieve success. Their actions are dictated by whether they are moving toward that bigger outcome or away from it. If they encounter failure, they are more likely to give up or try something else.
Victory is different. It is a collective measurement for your cause, not just yourself. Whether you are individually successful doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. It’s all about how well your cause is doing. Think about the people who have sacrificed for their countries, faith, and families. If you lose a leg in a war, but your action made your team win on the battlefield, you have achieved victory, even though you might have failed according to worldly standards.
I’ll give you a personal example:
Yesterday was a tough day for me. I made a mistake and suffered some business setback. I worked very hard toward a goal but couldn’t reach it. I felt defeated. My body screamed at me to give up due to the pain and disappointment.
Then I thought about my cause and my mission. Do I still believe in this mission? Do I think this cause is just, something I am willing to spend my life to push forward? Do I think if the cause achieves victory, the world will become a better place?
Absolutely!
At that moment, I forgot about myself, dusted off my pain and failure, and renewed my effort. In fact, the failure felt inconsequential, because I will be working toward the goal for a long long time. This morning, I feel like a winner again, determined, decisive, and unstoppable.
If all I wanted were success, I would have quit and changed direction many times. But I didn’t. Because I am not driven by my personal success. I am driven by the victory of my mission.
Going forward, no matter what you do, I wish you success. But more importantly, I wish you to find the cause you believe in, and achieve victory for that cause.
Here is to victory!