Michael Bernard Beckwith contrasts two senses of "success": a common, ego-centered "small-s" success defined by accumulation (money, fame, possessions) versus a deeper, altruistic "capital-S" success defined by growth, giving, activating gifts, and serving a purpose larger than oneself. He argues true success is measured by how much one gives and serves others (not by what one takes), cites Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as an exemplar, and frames the remarks in honor of Black History Month.
Chapters
There are two meanings of success. The first common meaning of success spells success with a small S. Money, fame, glory, celebrity houses, plaques on our walls, things that feed the ego. One can say they have taken a lot, they've received a lot, therefore, they are successful. And then there is success with the capital S. How much can I give? How much can I share? How much can I circulate? It carries the awareness that we've arrived on this planet with our cargo, with our gifts, our talents, and that we are to discover and activate and ultimately express these talents. You are successful if you are growing. You're successful if you're unfolding. You're successful if you're discovering, activating and expressing your gifts and talents so that when you leave the world, it's not how much you have taken, but it's how much you have given. So a truly successful being in this paradigm would be a being who has given their life oftentimes to a purpose larger than their little life. You think about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Who gave his life serving others, serving a dream of a kind and just society where all men and women, boys and girls, could live in dignity and in harmony and love together, regardless of the color of their skin, regardless of nationality, regardless of sexual orientation. And so, when we consider success, we must ask ourselves, if I were to leave the planet today, did I give more blessings and more service, or did I give more pain and taking? So in honor of the Black History Month, we celebrate all of the beings who have arrived on this planet who may have undergone oppression, unjust conditions, but were strong enough to transcend those conditions and to give and to share and to shine with innovativeness, resourcefulness and creativeness that made the world a little bit better.
