Successful Counterfeit: Revelrous

Successful refers to a characteristic experience of achievement. Maslow described this character as “peak experiences.” He talked about individuals who were able to seize opportunities to see themselves as small pieces of a larger puzzle. To Maslow’s observations, I add the idea of small successes in the context of self-motivation.

Peak experiences are not always the completion of a goal. Small successes admonish you to look for the consistent and sustainable path. Success is not only in the destination, it is in the day-to-day approach toward goals.

The counterfeit of successful is revelrous—a life characterized by revelry. As a revelrous individual, you are characterized by highs and lows that threaten your consistency and sap your motivation. When you complete a task, you consider it an end, and celebrate disregarding the road still ahead. When you fail at a task, you fall into a funk, questioning the path you began.

People often see you as a rollercoaster of emotion. Because you put neither achievements nor failures in the context of a larger puzzle, you resort to the extreme reactions of what you think others expect. Your individual relationships are superficial because you are incapable of sharing your fit with others. The group subjugates you to either being the cheerleader or the voice of realism. Neither role is crucial to the team.

To be truly successful, you will see your gifts in the context of the abilities of others and the opportunities of the environment. As a successful individual, you realize that small successes build toward larger successes. This awareness keeps you internally encouraged and building. An awareness of the road ahead tempers your enthusiasm in order to stoke your endurance toward the completion of more challenging goals.