"Redefining the Requirements for Success"
To quote Mr. Dungy, "What's important is not the accolades and memories of success but the way you respond when opportunities are denied." Wow, now that is a pretty empowering statement! It makes you want to dig deeper, really push yourself harder in your pursuits, doesn't it? But, aside from that fact that it is empowering, that statement challenges the way most people perceive success. It takes success outside the box of it's definition, and sheds a new light on how we actually look at the word. But what is success?
Success is typically defined as the achievement of something desired-reaching that goal you set or that dream you have aspired to. It requires dedication, drive, and diligence, and is usually a drawn out process that can be quite daunting. But if you apply Tony Dungy's line of reasoning, you can achieve success merely by how you respond, not necessarily how things turn out regarding actually reaching that goal. While success is generally measured by the result of someone's efforts, this new approach focuses more on the character and conduct of the person involved. Essentially, it puts more emphasis on the response of the individual when faced with opposition, rather than the extent of their efforts towards the set objective.
Attitude also plays a huge role not only in Tony Dungy's perspective of success and achievement, but also in the common description. Consider how far society would be from what we know as normal, if when faced with adversity, people just gave up? Where would success come in? Where could progress be found? Would it even appear at all, considering that the moment things got difficult, the great minds that shaped our world just quit? Where would that leave us?
Thomas Edison, Lewis and Clark, Christopher Columbus, William Bradford, 'Madame' Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, Alexander Graham Bell, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Louis Pasteur are just a few of the brilliant individuals that have unquestionably shaped our world into what it is today, and as sure as their achievements themselves, there is no doubt that during their journey to success, each and every one of these people ran into more than their fair share of trials. Perseverance because of the right attitude is what got them through those challenges. A winning attitude is critical for a winning game plan, just like Tony Dungy shows in his books and in his life.
Another thing that is required for success is faith. During the countless hard times that we all encounter, it is incredibly easy to lose, but as Christ states in Hebrews 11:6, "But without faith it is impossible...". Faith is like the fuel for our fire. Without it, the flames die and our drive is reduced to embers, and from the embers the resolve that once burned so brilliantly has turned into ash. Losing faith suffocates our initiative, almost completely defeating the purpose of even having one entirely.
Success comes in many forms, and in the case of Tony Dungy, with quite some difficulty preceding it. But like Mr. Dungy, when opposition strikes and threatens to deter us from our ambitions, by responding in faith with perseverance, we can put that dedication, drive, and diligence to better use, knowing that we have already succeeded by reciprocating with integrity. True success could not be better defined than in these words by Stephen Vincent Benet: "A great victor, in defeat just as great, no more no less, always himself in both."
By: Sarah-Lynne Bremer
