How will you measure success? It’s a simple question, but that doesn’t mean there’s an easy answer.
Monday, I went to work in Music City.
We moved to the Nashville area on Friday, and it was my first day at work. Rather than work from my home office, I went out to a local coffeeshop. It was quite a scene! All around me were folks made up and decked out and dressed for success, but it’s clear they were shooting for Music Row, where they mostly measure success differently from folks on Wall Street.
There are folks here who are measuring success via fame.
Nothing wrong with chasing that neon rainbow, as Alan Jackson wrote. In fact, it’s one of the three ways a brilliant friend of mine says you can measure success.
Pennie Williams once told her husband (and my business partner) Roy that there were really only three ways to measure success:
- Money
- Fame
- Making A Difference
I thought that was pretty awesome… I mean, can you think of a fourth? I’ve been trying for a few years, and I can’t.
Here’s The Thing
There’s nothing wrong with any of them, but you better well know which method you’re using to keep score.
If your scoreboard is money, great.
If your scoreboard is fame, great.
If your scoreboard is making a difference, great.
But your strategy changes depending on which rainbow you’re chasing. On Thursday, I’ll share a few lessons about the fame game, which I only recently decided not to play.
