📘 Part 3: Success

This episode's vocabulary

To have a bearing on something - to have an influence on something or a relationship to something.

Criterion (noun) - a standard by which you judge, decide about, or deal with something.

To assess (verb) - to judge or decide the amount, value, quality, or importance of something.

To encounter (verb) - to experience something, especially something unpleasant.

Severe (adj.) - causing very great pain, difficulty, worry, damage, etc.; very serious.

Headway (noun) - progress toward a goal.

To hail someone/something as something (phrasal verb) - to praise a person or an achievement by comparing them to someone or something very good.

Survival of the fittest (noun) - the principle that animals and plants suited to the conditions they live in are more likely to stay alive and produce other animals and plants than those that are not suited.

To exploit (verb) - to use something in a way that helps you.

To garner (verb) - to collect something, usually after much work or with difficulty.

Tremendous (adj.) - very great in amount or level, or extremely good.

Ultimately (adverb) - used to emphasize the most important fact in a situation.

To end up (phrasal verb) - to finally be in a particular place or situation.

Personal assistant (noun) - someone whose job is helping someone in a higher position, especially by writing letters, arranging meetings, and making phone calls.

Unbalanced (adj.) - a person who is unbalanced is mentally ill.

Wildly (adverb) - in an uncontrolled or extreme way.

Moderately (adverb) - in a way that is neither small nor large in size, amount, degree, or strength.

Well-off (adj.) - wealthy.

To thrive (verb) - to grow, develop, or be successful.

To kickstart (verb) - to make something start to happen or start to develop more quicklyю

To devote (verb) - to use a space, area, time, etc. for a particular purpose.

Screw-up (noun) - a situation in which you do something badly or make a big mistake.

Doubtless (adverb) - used to mean that you are certain that something will happen or is true.

Decisive (adj.) - able to make decisions quickly and confidently, or showing this quality.

Keep your head down (idiom) - to avoid trouble.

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Questions and Answers

M: How do people assess the success of others?

R: Well, the context in which the success has taken place probably has some bearing on that. In education, it's meeting some sort of criteria for success. But in business, it could be assessed in terms of impact or earnings.

M: How do you define success?

R: Progress toward the achievement of some kind of ideal or goal. So let's say the ideal is like getting 100% on an exam, and you get 90%, we could say someone is or has been quite successful in that respect. In other respects, especially if you encounter severe difficulties, any kind of headway could be hailed success.

M: What does it take to become successful?

R: Having the appropriate means to succeed in the context, it's a bit like survival of the fittest, you need to be best adapted to your environment, not always the biggest or the strongest. You could be strong and expend a huge amount of energy on something that's just wasted in the end. Whereas being clever enough to spot good opportunities and exploiting them with minimal effort would be much better in many cases.

M: Is being successful and making a lot of money the same thing?

R: Well, probably almost never to be honest. People who garner a tremendous amount of wealth for themselves are beset by problems related to the money they have. Like who to trust or how to keep it. Ultimately they end up being owned by their money rather than the other way around. It's probably better to have a modest level of success in different areas, rather than focusing only on money. Like having a family who loves you, or a life that you enjoy.

M: Does success depend on the ability to manage time effectively?

R: At least in part, or by surrounding yourself with people who can help manage your time, like good friends or a personal assistant. You have to know when to work and when to relax and take a step back. Otherwise, you end up being totally unbalanced.

M: Are successful people often lonely?

R: If you end up failing at life to the point where you're that lonely, have you really succeeded anyway? If you mean wildly financially successful people, then I would say the ones I've often met are. But moderately well-off people are not. And because of that they're truly thriving.

M: Why do some people achieve success faster?

R: Well, lots of reasons. Inherited wealth, like that of Paris Hilton and Donald Trump. I mean, obviously, they're very clever people. But I think some money to give them a kickstart definitely helped. Some people get very lucky and they're born beautiful and talented. And they exploit that to their limits, as with models and athletes, and some people absolutely cheat and lie their way to the top. Like with many politicians.

M: Do people learn the most from their mistakes?

R: If not their mistakes, then certainly those of others. That's why reading and listening are such important skills to develop. If you can access the voices and messages of other people, you gain their knowledge, learn from their mistakes, avoid them and save time and money to devote elsewhere. Reflecting on your own screw-ups also helps though. Doubtless, since it has immediate relevance to you.

M: What skills are important for success in a business?

R: Well, it's probably related to things that I've already said, like a willingness to listen and then be decisive when required. Generally, good organization and time management will also help you.

M: How do people achieve success at school?

R: Well, that depends on what they're trying to succeed at, to be honest with you. I mean, if it's academic success, then they work hard and they focus on the subject matter or the curricular area that they need to. It could just be basic survival, to be honest with you. They just try and get through the day and keep their head down. You can also succeed by being popular, so that way you're social, you're very cooperative and funny and you make people like you. So it really will entirely depend on what kind of success we're trying to focus on here.

M: And how do you think success will be measured in the future at school?

R: That will depend on the country that you're living in. I mean, if we look at Scotland then assessments are made based on literacy and numeracy, and your health and well-being. So those are the things that we've considered to be a priority. Other countries focus solely on academic results and don't really pay attention to well-being, they consider that something you deal with as a personal matter.

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