Defining Success by John Kimbro

A visionary is, by definition, someone who pursues his or her dreams. He or she attempts things that other people simply would not. Their cast iron conviction is what makes one person's unacceptable risk another person's unavoidable destiny. To paraphrase Challenger astronaut and physicist Ron McNair, it's man's nature to explore the unknown.

At one time or another, many of us have entertained exploiting our potential, or at least exploring something of considerable interest: starting a business, landing that dream job, additional education, a fresh approach to an old routine, or simply uncovering a new means of applying existing resources. However big or small, these exploitation's and explorations are fundamental to the central proposition: What separates those who have only the potential to succeed from those who actually do? By now, the answer should be quite evident.

''Success is akin to happiness," Sutton points out. ''Most people search all their lives for success but never find it. Why? Because it lies within. Success is that rare gem that must be mined out through the inner resources. This mining out is one of life's toughest challenges."

During my scores of interviews with many of Black America's most successful people, here's what they had to say about success:

Defining Success

Terrie Williams, founder of the PR firm that bears her name, thinks of success the same as Sutton. ''Success goes beyond the dollar sign,'' she says. ''It encompasses the total package: inner harmony, comfort, and emotional well being. I deal with a lot of people whom society would label "successful" -- those who have all the material trappings. In a few cases, I wouldn't be so quick to agree. While chasing the brass ring, they have allowed joy and happiness to slip through their very hands.''

Joshua Smith, CEO of the Maxima Corp., told me that true success lies somewhere between personal development and economic freedom. ''Personal growth and independence seem to be natural,'' he said. ''It's man's nature to desire more of what life offers. But it is also man's responsibility to develop himself to his fullest, so that he earns the right to life's best.''

George Smith, a Black man with a 3rd grade education, who from a standing start in the oil fields of east Texas, built a personal fortune in the millions, offers a slight variation on what those already quoted think success is: ''Some of the most successful people, and the happiest I might add, are those doing something that they know to be important or personally pleasing, rather than something that allows them to make a lot of money. Doing something that you enjoy is a key component of success.''

J. Bruce Llewellyn, one of Black America's wealthiest and holder of three businesses that rank among the BLACK ENTERPRISE 100s, seemed clearly annoyed that, even in the 1990s, Black America is still trying to navigate the convoluted waters of success. ''Failure is not an overnight experience, and neither is success. Both occur over time and are rarely perceptible to the untrained eye. There is no short road to success. It emanates from long, hard years of concentrated effort, from going the extra mile and doing what others will rarely do. Succeeding is tough. It's nerve wracking, gut-wrenching, and pain inducing. However, there's an old saying, "Hard work doesn't guarantee you anything, but without it you don't stand a chance."

When asked if he considered himself successful, Llewellyn didn't hesitate to answer: ''Actually, I'm somewhere in the process. In many respects, I enjoy a lifestyle that few have experienced. But that doesn't mean that others can't or won't. It's all a matter of will, determination, and seizing opportunities. You can't leave success to chance. You must act to acquire it with a vengeance and to pursue it with a passion."

George Fraser, best selling author of Success Runs in Our Race, took a page from the motivational writer Earl Nightingale. ''Success,'' Fraser says, ''is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal. The happiest and most contented people are those in pursuit of their dreams or ideals.'' Fraser discovered this definition and its meaning firsthand, once he left an $85,000 a year post with the United Way in Cleveland to chase brighter rainbows.

Ebony's John H. Johnson seemed to say it all. He told me that success is something you never attain. And who would know better than he? Johnson has a real feel for the combat that entrepreneurship requires. Not only has he survived many bitterly contested wars, but his life is an example that to the victor goes the spoils.

''Success is not a destination; it's an ongoing process, and you should enjoy every step and detail along the way,'' says Johnson. ''I approach each business day as if it were my last, always looking to consolidate my strengths and shore up my weaknesses. I've never been one to rest on my laurels. I think when you start to do that, you automatically relinquish any hope of accomplishments."

Ernesta Procope, CEO of Wall Street's E.G. Bowman Company, replied in rather traditional, objective terms: ''Continuous hard work. Stubborn determination. Faith.''

''Is that all?" I asked.

''There are other factors," she replied, ''but those who succeed, for the most part, do not deviate from this formula. These are the three main qualities that have served me well throughout my career."

Herman J. Russell, CEO of H.J. Russell & Co. in Atlanta, agrees. ''Success," he says, ''comes not from doing the impossible, but from doing the possible everyday. We only need to succeed with single acts every day, each day, to have a successful life. It's a long, slow grind.''

After years of research and exhausting interviews into the subject, I have come to know what success is and isn't. Accordingly, success is:

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An attitude and a matter of choice. It is available to all who will take charge of the direction of their lives. The path to success leads through service.
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Success is the process of learning and growing. It requires that the individual step out of line, away from the pack, and march to the beat of a different, sometimes distant, drummer. Success is knowing yourself and what you want.
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Success is born by the pursuit of a goal or an ideal which will benefit others as easily as the dreamer. Success cannot be conferred upon others. Success can only be earned through individual initiative.
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Succeeding means risk taking, courage, faith and commitment. Frederick Douglass was correct: success is born of struggle.
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Success demands the use of whatever abilities and talents are available. It decays on the 40 hour work week. It is derived from labors of love. The achiever will be most successful doing what he or she truly enjoys.
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Some indicators of success come from the desire to leave behind some great work that will survive or endure--in other words, permanence.

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Dr. Dennis Kimbro, author of the best sellers Think & Grow Rich: A Black Choice and Daily Motivations for African American Success, will feature his third book, What Makes the Great Great: Strategies for Extraordinary Achievement, (Doubleday) January, 1997.