by Don Taylor

I don't know anyone who doesn't want to be successful. However, I do know a lot of folks who haven't achieved any great amount of success. It may be because they don't realize that success is a by-product.

My dictionary defines a by-product as: "Anything produced in the course of making another thing." Success fits this definition because it is accomplished only through work, effort and the desire to achieve.

If you study the lives of men and women who are achieving an admirable measure of success, you'll often find some common factors. More often than not, these common factors are by-products of other actions.

For example, Stan Musial, the great baseball player, never dreamed of becoming a Hall of Famer when he broke into the major leagues. His only goal was to play for the St. Louis Cardinals. His motivation was to earn a good living doing something he loved. Musial went on to become the National League's Most Valuable Player three times. He led the league in hitting for seven different years and finished his career batting .331.

Musial's approach to success was to work on one pitch at a time, one hit at a time and one season at a time. His record-shattering career was the by-product of studious attention to mastering his craft, an intensely competitive spirit and showing up for work every day for 22 years.

• Success is a by-product of love. I've never seen anyone achieve greatness without loving what they do. While there is still work involved, if you love what you're doing, the workload gets lighter.
• Success is a by-product of thought. Think of solving this day's problems. Thought opens the door of discovery and lets in the light of reason. Sound reason brings clear solutions to difficult problems.
• Success is a by-product of focusing on the positive. Only a pessimist succeeds by being negative. By focusing on what you can do, rather than what you cannot, you move forward toward success. Your progress may not be visible to you each day, but you are on your way.
• Success is a by-product of planning. Creating a plan will not make you successful. I've seen the business plans of some real failures. However, a good plan is a foundation to build on. Executing the elements in your plan will guide you toward success.
• Success is a by-product of starting. Many potentially successful projects fail because no one got them started. All success comes from starting. An adage says that well begun is half done.
• Success is a by-product of continuing. Thomas Edison achieved great success by starting where others quit. Winston Churchill made a great speech with just six words. He said, "Never, never, never, never give up." Helen Keller said, "We can do anything we want to do if we stick to it long enough."
• Success is a by-product of time well spent. Productive use of your time is a critical success factor. All people are given the same amount of time every day. Some use it dreaming, some denying, some dodging and some doing. Become a doer.
• Success is a by-product of doing. Results are the outcome of actions. Actions are the by-product of doing.

A lifetime of doing what we love in a positive way, while thinking of others, will create some wonderful products and cause success to surround you. Work toward other goals and success will overtake you as certainly as night follows day.