Some folks achieve success…and then change overnight. It’s as though one moment you know the person, and the next moment they’re unrecognizable. Even though they look the same, the way they act, treat people, and view the world is completely different. It’s as if their ego seizes control of their body.
I’m sure you know these people, and I do too. Even though they’ve achieved success, they can’t handle it. Moreover, they’re the only ones who don’t see how ugly it is. Don’t get me wrong — I know how much effort and sacrifice it takes to win a game, achieve a goal, or make it to the top. But the way you handle success says a lot about you. As Margaret Thatcher, the former British Prime Minister, said, “Power is like being a lady…if you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.” The same holds true for winning.
You’re not a winner if you don’t know how to be a winner.
How do you handle success?
Some folks achieve success and go completely off the rails. They flaunt their possessions, treat people like dirt, and think they’re above it all. (Ugh.) You must wonder, what are they thinking?
There’s a big difference between those who handle success well and those who don’t.
Do you:
- Have an inflated view of yourself or remain down to earth?
- Talk down to people or treat everyone with dignity and respect?
- Brag about your achievements or simply smile on the inside?
- Take all the credit or recognize those who helped you along the way?
- Abandon the values that made you successful or focus on the things that made you great?
- Rest on your laurels or continue to set goals that push your limits?
- Think only about yourself or reach down and pull others along with you?
- Slack off and get complacent or take success in stride?
- Believe past success guarantees future success or know that you must continue to earn it?
- Use your wealth, power, and fame to benefit yourself or to serve others?
If you want to be a winner, act like one
How you handle success says a lot about you. Some folks spike the football, rub it in their opponent’s face, and shout from the rooftops how wonderful they are. I guess they’re trying to impress folks or win their admiration. But people don’t view these folks as positive role models, they see them for what they really are. And it isn’t pretty.
There’s a difference between achieving success and being a success.
Remember that success is a journey, not a destination. While you should take great pride in your accomplishments, success is temporary. You may have won today, but you can just as easily lose tomorrow. Furthermore, when you let success go to your head, you leave yourself open to all kinds of mistakes — including taking your eye off the ball or becoming complacent. That has trouble written all over it.
If you want to be a true winner, show a little grace. Just because you have a fancy new title, a check mark in the win column, or can now afford expensive new toys, that doesn’t make you a better person. It just means that you have more stuff. Succeeding one time — or even several times — doesn’t make you a winner any more than losing one time makes you a loser. As author Ziad K. Abdelnour said, “Never let success get to your head and never let failure get to your heart.” How you handle success says a lot about you. If you want to be a winner, act like one.
Frank Sonnenberg is an award-winning author and a well-known advocate for moral character, personal values, and personal responsibility. He has written 10 books, including his latest, “Leadership by Example: Be a role model who inspires greatness in others“, and has been named one of “America’s Top 100 Thought Leaders.
This post is excerpted from Leadership by Example: Be a role model who inspires greatness in others by Frank Sonnenberg © 2023 Frank Sonnenberg. All rights reserved.