Thirdwind Interactive Community
Dedicated to Empowering People to Achieve Success

Thirdwind.com has launched an interactive community dedicated to empowering people to achieve "true" success by realizing both their professional goals and personal dreams.

According to Robert Michael Fried, Best Selling Author of Igniting Your True Purpose and Passion, "True success involves a lot more than striving for that corner office, reaching for the next pay raise, or keeping up with the next door neighbor. True success always involves reaching out to others - beyond ourselves."

While one’s achievements may be remembered after death, the success that he or she experiences lasts only as long as the individual lives and sometimes not even that long.

For example, an important meeting of the world’s greatest financiers took place at Chicago in 1927. Present were Charles Schwab, President of the largest steel company; Samuel Insull, President of the largest utility company; Authur Cutton, the greatest wheat speculator; Richard Whitley, President of the New York Stock Exchange; Albert Fall, a member of the Cabinet; Jessie Livermore, the greatest bear on Wall Street; Ivar Kreuger, head of the world’s greatest monopoly; Leon Fraser, President of the Bank of International Settlement; and Howard Hopson, President of the largest gas company. All these men were considered to be outstandingly successful, yet what happened to them?

Charles Schwab died bankrupt. Samuel Insull became a fugitive and was considered to be insolvent. Authur Cutton died abroad insolvent. Richard Whitley was sent to prison. Albert Fall was pardoned in prison, and died at home. Jessie Livermore committed suicide. Ivar Kreuger and Leon Fraser both committed suicide. And Howard Hopson went insane.

Surely something must be have been wrong with the goals of these men and with what people believe success to be, even if only temporary.

It is true most of us equate success with financial success. But this success lasts at most only for a lifetime, and the old saying is certainly correct: “You can’t take it with you.” While financial success or popularity may be regarded as success, it is not the success that really counts! Financial success or eminence in this world is not true success. What we need to become aware of and evaluate is true success.

True success involves a lot more than striving for that corner office, reaching for the next pay raise, or keeping up with the next door neighbor. "True success always involves reaching out to others - beyond ourselves," says Robert Michael Fried, Best Selling Author of "Igniting Your True Purpose and Passion." But achieving the kind of total success articulated by Emerson is clearly no easy task. The path to achieving true success is often strewn with potholes and boulders.

Fried offers these tips:

1. Take it personal - If we take the same amount of time and energy planning our personal lives as we do our business life or career we would likely live a more meaningful, balanced and personally enriched life. In short, strive to make it your business to turn your life into your most successful venture yet!

2. Don’t limit yourself by labels - Remember what your do is not who your are. Author Joe Robinson suggests we carry an ID card with two sides. One side would have your title or profession, the other side would describe the authentic you, the you at your very core. For instance, Judy Brown: Galloping Gourmet. John Smith: Storyteller Extraordinaire. Don Porter: Renaissance Man.

3. Write down your personal goals - Write down your personal goals as well as your career goals. Make sure your goals are quantifiable. There needs to be time and numbers attached to your goals. You might want to lower your golf handicap by three strokes over the next twelve months. You might want to increase your personal financial portfolio by twelve percent over the next two years. You might want to spend two weeks next summer on a European vacation with your family.

4. Hone in on what really matters most - Things that really matter most in your life should not take a backseat to things that matter least. Remember, your personal values, integrity and self-worth are not determined by your valuables. Time in one resource we cannot regenerate. Accordingly, invest your time wisely on that which is really important to you (i.e. family, friends, health, and yes, your career). Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that your career isn’t important. I’m just strongly suggesting you don’t overweight your career at the expense of other important things in your life.

5. Expand your reach - True success always involves reaching out to others beyond yourself. You can revel in the success of your children. You can contribute to your urban community. You can be a patron of the arts. You can help clean up your environment. You can mentor a person who needs your help. You can care for the elderly. YOu can give to charitable causes. By reaching out to others we often reap the returns and personal satisfaction that real success can bring.

6. Make meaning - See yourself making meaning as well as money. Judge your level of true success accordingly.

7. Don’t be afraid to fail - In short, don’t be afraid to fail in your quest for true success. Your very striving means you are already on the right road. The passes we go through in life will continue to through us some curves and knuckle balls. However, we can take some solace in words of Viacom CEO Sumner Redstone: “Success is not build on Success, it’s built on failure.”

Robert Michael Fried is the best selling author of Igniting Your True Purpose and Passion. He is a marketing executive who has guided the strategic direction for companies like Motorola, Nautilus, bebe eyewear, and several emerging Silicon Valley firms. He is co-founder of Thirdwind.com, a company dedicated to helping people achieve true success by making meaning as well as money. Join the interactive community of people dedicated to realizing both their professional goals and personal dreams.