Welcome to this edition of Famous Quotivations #6 for December 24, 2010.

‘Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.’

~Albert Einstein

Every Friday I choose quotes that I think are motivating or inspiring.

I recently found this quote on Leo’s blog .

I thought it, and the blog post that accompanied it, to be so in line with the way I feel about the subject of success attainment that I couldn’t resist making it the focus of today’s quotivation.

He claims that he was a success even from the day he started his blog.  He says he had no readers then, but he was happy because he loved doing what he was doing.

Too bad not more of us think like that.

The reason we don’t, I believe, is because there is a problem with the term “success.” We can’t seem to agree on how to define it. That’s because it means different things to different people, and personal opinions can be touchy things when it comes to defining our station in life.

In my work, which I’m very passionate about, I’m often trying to add value to my clients.  It’s sometimes a struggle. Because what I’m offering is an intrinsic experience, and it’s tough to make clear what it’s like before they actually get into the actual experience.

I’m attempting to find a way to explain that I’m out to bring them a state of mindset maintenance that is not too up and not too down, but in the middle. Like a teeter- totter that stays level.  It acts sort of like an immune system.  It mirrors the body’s immune system, except it looks after the thinking flesh rather than the physical flesh.

That’s my value.

In thinking about success, the common thing most people do is look at the bright, shiny objects (hype) that successful people often possess. But there is a reason why they call them “trappings” (stress).

In the early part of this century, when the super-rich John D. Rockefeller was passing on the family mantle to his only son, the treasure trove was referred to as a “heavy burden,” and indeed it was to the young John Jr. He grew up terrified of making a mistake.

Value, on the other hand, is about giving something to others. The magic of giving intrinsic value is that it’s bottomless. It never runs out because the more you give, the more you’ve got. Giving intrinsic value is the road to happiness because it changes lives with invisible enrichment.

Am I against making money?

Of course not. But let me ask you: Where does monetary success end? As Leo points out, for the wealthy, it doesn’t ever seem to.  The feeling of needing to make more is never satisfied.

Personally, I’d rather stay on the side of more happiness.

Like Leo, the simple joy that I get from every experience I witness is of greater value than the money people might pay me for any service that I might offer them. That’s just gravy.

I firmly believe that we need not join in the chase for success but rather become so resilient to our own failures that a special immunity kicks in and happiness remains intact.

Something that, given the season, might be an important observation for a lot of us as we ponder our future prospects going into 2011.

More power to you and yours during this season.

PS: Looking for more balance and happiness in your life?  Sign up to attend one of my free webinars. Put your name and email in the box over there on the right.