“We are living in exciting times, as science is shattering old myths and rewriting a fundamental belief of human civilization. The belief that we are fragile biochemical machines controlled by our genes is giving way to a new understanding: we are powerful creators of our lives and the world we live in.” Dr. Bruce H. Lipton, The Biology of Belief, 2005, p.17

What is success?

If I were to begin this book without first shedding light on key conceptual terms, it would be a disservice to you, the reader. Although the two terms are related, there is an undeniable difference between success and accomplishment.

The word success comes from the Latin successus, meaning progress or a favorable outcome, derived from the verb succedere, meaning “to come after.” In terms of time, then, success relates to the immediate. You complete a task and reap the fruits of it right away.

Beyond its etymology, success also refers to the outcome of an endeavor, work, or challenge. Hence the expression, “his efforts were crowned with success.” A third semantic interpretation of the word success would be the notion of public interest, favor, or approval toward a person, work, performance, etc. For example, “He is successful with his audience” implies he enjoys popularity or loyalty from his public.

Finally, the term success, as the opposite of failure or defeat, can also denote a form of victory — in military, social, economic, or financial contexts. Saying “This man is successful” may imply he has emerged victorious from his battles.

However, success does not necessarily equate to accomplishment. There are two essential reasons for this:

1. Accomplishment is built over time.
2. One can achieve it by going through the opposite of success — namely, failure.

In other words, while failure is the opposite of success, it is not necessarily the opposite of accomplishment. This is why in some contexts, success is defined as “a result (favorable or unfavorable) of an endeavor, event, or situation.”

Defining success is an essential and unavoidable step for anyone aiming to achieve it. In the case of social accomplishment, it would mean reaching an expected outcome, an ideal way of life, or fulfilling the purpose one seeks to achieve during their lifetime. Now, the task at hand is to make the term your own and define your own version of success. Some may include failure in their journey toward success, others may not. It all depends on how you conceive your personal and social accomplishment.

What does it mean to accomplish?

You must accomplish your purpose at all costs — but not by any means necessary. Because there are measurable factors that define true accomplishment.
Even if success and accomplishment are synonyms, there is a slight semantic difference between the two. Accomplishment goes beyond success, because it implies something done with excellence. Saying, “That was a success” is not quite the same as saying, “That was an accomplishment.”

Secondly, accomplishment emphasizes the process more than the outcome. Even though the Larousse dictionary defines accomplishment as “a good or bad result,” this means one can experience failure, and still come out with a meaningful accomplishment in the end. Let me explain that differently.

Imagine an athlete running the 10,000-meter Olympic race. He finishes last, dragging himself across the finish line on crutches, crawling like a baby. He lost the race. But to the eyes of the public, this poor outcome is far from a failure. Why? Because he triumphed in terms of values: self-sacrifice, hope, perseverance.

You may feel like you’re failing in the eyes of others — persevere, for your repeated failures may very well become your accomplishment. After all, isn’t science a chain of failures? The same is true for the science of life: it is a succession of missteps.

Ultimately, there is a definition of accomplishment I find particularly relevant. Accomplishment can be understood as optimal performance — the best version of a product. And human beings are social products. To speak of social accomplishment in a person is to speak of them becoming the best version of themselves.

With that in mind, let me ask you a few questions: What is your current version of yourself?

Do you believe you’ve reached your optimal potential in your community or society?
If the answer is no, then this book is for you. If you answered yes, then toss this book aside and go live in heaven — because man will never be fully satisfied with his achievements. He was created imperfect, with the goal of growing toward perfection. Only God is perfect. Man, however, merely strives toward perfection — he aspires to it, but he will never be equal to God.

You began your path to social accomplishment the day you chose to educate yourself. In this sense, your accomplishment bears the etymological address of an outcome. From that moment on, reading becomes a path to self-fulfillment, to self-realization. But is this the only reason we decided to write this book? Is it just a matter of etymology and reading? Far from it!

If you’re ever given the choice between success and accomplishment — choose accomplishment. Success is fleeting. Accomplishment is enduring.

Moreover, don’t just aim to accomplish at any cost — instead, get familiar with (and apply) the eleven (11) factors of accomplishment, which are also the factors of success:

1. Develop your intelligence;
2. Invest in your education;
3. Improve your skills;
4. Broaden your social network;
5. Create wealth;
6. Embrace the value of work;
7. Maintain a positive attitude;
8. Work on your appearance;
9. Activate your creativity;
10. Practice self-discipline;
11. Establish daily routines.

Throughout this book, we will explore each of these eleven keys to social accomplishment…

This text is an excerpt from the book “Achieve at All Costs: The 5 Fingers of Success” written by Jean-Paul Marie (Pastor Samuel Binyou).

We invite you to read the next article: “RENOUNCING POVERTY”.