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Timeless Success

It turns out that my birthday is just around the corner. (I updated my Wish List on Amazon.com in case you were wondering what to get me.) I don't know about you, but birthdays always seem to make me a bit nostalgic. Passage of time, historic context, so many good memories - you know the drill.

This year, I got to thinking about just how much things have changed in my life. What was I doing on my birthday 5 years ago? What was different in my life? Five years ago, my youngest daughter hadn't been born. That seems odd now. Fifteen years ago, I was still in the Marines stationed in Monterey, California. I had met my wife, but we were just friends. (No benefits yet.) Way back twenty-five years ago, I was a strapping young lad with a bowl cut hairdo, riding around my neighborhood's mean streets on a Huffy BMX. (The term "Cheesy Rider" comes to mind.)

Of course, I'm just one man, and we're all in this together. Think about how much your life and the world around you have changed. Over the years, your life has undoubtedly been influenced by all sorts of changes. The pace of life today is more hectic than it was in the past. Globalization and mass consumerism are omnipresent when compared to not-so-long-ago. Technology and communications are an essential part of life. It seems like so much has changed through the generations.

I remembered those birthday cards that tell you what life was like when you were born. Fortunately, that same information is now available on the web. (Times sure have changed.) I learned that on my birthday, top songs were "Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves" by Cher and "One Bad Apple" by the Osmonds. (I guess change can be a good thing.) Today, a loaf of specialty bread from Trader Joe's costs almost $5. That same loaf of bread was $0.05 a hundred years ago. (I suppose the exact same loaf would be rather frightening.) While our grandparents were likely to work for the same company for their entire lives, many of you won't remain with your current employer through the entire year. Change can be empowering or unsettling depending on your perspective.

While it may seem as though everything has changed, I think it's also interesting to note that the things we want most in life remain largely in tact. 100 years ago, 50 years ago, 2 years ago, and now, the most common life goals and objectives have included some variation of health, money, love, and a sizeable movie deal. (Except that last one.) Who wouldn't want to have more of those essential ingredients in their lives? That type of success never goes out of style.

Fortunately, the path to successful living hasn't changed much through the years, either. There's no real mystery to personal success, only our need to "do the right thing". We've always needed to have a clear idea of what we want in life and how we'll make it happen. We've always needed to exercise personal discipline and to ask for help along the way. We've always needed to develop and preserve a positive attitude and a strong sense of self-confidence.

The context in which we live may appear completely different than it did in the past, but fortunately for us, we already know how to succeed in it. I think that it's comforting to know that these principles of success are the same today as they always have been. (Even if my hairdo isn't.)

So I say, bring on the change! Armed with timeless principles of personal success, we're ready for whatever comes next.