Our modern day society is a bit gullible; they are a bit naïve and expect handouts and shortcuts, rather than actually working hard for something and finding some sort of purpose in their life. No one wants to put in the hard work anymore- everyone is just looking for the most money for the least amount of effort.

Between all of this laziness and misconception of what the world really is today, the definition of success has been lost in translation with many thinking that it is something that is sent. Many women will go out there and say I want to marry someone that is successful, but if you ask them what they mean by successful they will simply answer “a man with a lot of money, duh.”

Money has become too closely associated with the term of success. What women don’t realize- especially women wannabes- is that money actually has nothing to do with success. It is just a perk that comes with it.

If money, fame, and those big boats and fast cars are your end goal for your respective career, then you are most likely going fail. When you chase materialism and things that don’t have much significance in life, it becomes chasing an empty dream.

A successful person is someone who loves what they are doing. It is someone who wakes up every morning excited to start the day. It is someone who is not doing it for the money, but rather to change the world, build a legacy, and live life with a purpose. That is success.

Defining success as such makes it far easier to ride out the roller coaster that is your chosen career. Success and living comfortably have absolutely nothing to do with each other. In fact if you didn’t already know, it is all about more money, more problems- which is why so many can’t handle it and blow it all away, and why so many don’t get it because they are not worthy of it, only chasing the money. Many people think that money is the be all end all to your problems; it’s actually the direct opposite.

Too many times have I seen idiots flaunt money and talk about what they are going to do when they get their hands on it, their only drive and focus being money. Those same people are usually the ones that can’t handle the real life that actually comes with success.

It’s almost a recipe for failure if your only focus is just to make a lot of money or be famous. Success is what you decide to do with your life and your story of your legacy after everything is said and done.

The climb to the top of any industry or field is a difficult journey. When you are motivated by what you love to do and know that it is that you want to do for the rest of your life- because it truly makes you happy- then that is what will help you make it through the journey. If you are simply motivated by money and fame, that is when most will quit; they don’t have the push required to get through all the obstacles and the many failures.

Success takes courage and a set of brass balls. Risks are needed to be taken-  without them there is no movement. Success is doing what you love and making a living out of it-making it a lifestyle. Anyone I know who is successful never got to that point for the money or the fame.

Didn’t do it because they wanted a big boat; they did it because they truly loved what they did and they wanted to make their stand in the world. At the end of the day, the money doesn’t really mean much. What are you going to do? Be the richest guy 6 feet deep in the cemetery?

For many people money and fame comes as a byproduct of being exceptional, working tirelessly for years, and sticking to it because they found what they loved to do.  To use the examples above, Jon Hamm, Steve Jobs and Aaron Rodgers were remembered by people who recognized what they were capable of. When the time came, these people called on them.

Ultimately, they became famous because people who believed in them were willing to invest their time and money in their careers. Each of these men simultaneously became the face of industries that are subject to the scrutiny of the public.

It’s easy to look at people who are successful and begrudge their success. Success happens with a lot of hard work and time, as well as being able to fall down 7 times and get back up 8 times. It’s only on that 8th time that we see success; the first 7 are a test to our true regiment to see how much we are willing to put on the line so that we can live a life above average and be remembered as people who actually did something with their life.

Successful people are successful because they work incredibly hard.  Nothing worth achieving comes without a price. To begrudge those who pay the price is unfair. To be unwilling to pay the price will always result in failure. And to be driven by money or fame or that fast car that you keep posting on your Facebook will never get you anywhere.

Life is about the choices you decide to make. It is up to you to consider your dreams and goals. It is up to you to make your own destiny and to create your faith. Look around you at the people who have done it before and use them as models. There are blueprints and road maps everywhere. Your job is to reinvent the wheel and innovate what many before you have already created.

If you don’t have what you want, pay the price to get it. Don’t begrudge the success of others. Do what they do. It works for them and will work for you.

If you’re not willing to pay the price, recognize that fact and take that particular goal off your list. When you truly let go of a goal you say you want to achieve, but really aren’t willing to work to achieve, you shrug off the mental drain of chronic frustration and free up energy to spend on the goals you really are willing to put the effort into achieving.

Preston Waters | Elite.