Success

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 92, 12 January 1935, Page 20

Success

“What does one really mean by success? Some may think of success in terms of great professional distinction, some in terms of .large possessions. Personally, I like the definition of the successful man which was given many years ago by Plato: the man who, when it becomes his time to depart, leaves ‘with the goodwill of all, with goodivill to all, and not devoid of hope.’ “Through my whole life, I have always regarded that definition as embodying the best type of success; one which owes nothing to fortuitous circumstances and which is within the grasp of everybody.

“How can this success be attained? Two important steps toward it arc the retention of your individuality and the cultivation of your personality. To retain your individuality is not an easy thing 'in these days. The great rush of life, the large mass of interesting information which is pressed upon us, the short time zvhich'is given for thought and reflection, all have a deadening effect, and it takes some effort to retain such individuality as we have. “We tend to slip back, to become members of the common herd. We may retain our individuality by refusing to do many of the things which we arc asked to do. We must refuse to be rushed; we must be selective as to the information which zve receive; and lastly, zee must insist upon having a certain time for thought ami reflection.

■ “If zve do these things zve can preserve our individuality, if zve do not, zve arc in danger of losing it, and if you lose your individuality you lose the most interesting and precious possession that you have. Anyone who, in the later years of life, has to take his opinions from other people has become spiritually dead.”—Dr. Win. Wright, D.Sc., P.R.C.S., in a speech at the opening of the London Medical School.