Chances are good you have your own definition of success, but chances are better you want some of the things money will buy and all of the things money won't buy.

Many years ago, Henry David Thoreau said, "If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."

Dr. William Menninger of the world-famous Menninger Clinic said that there are six essential qualities that are key to success: sincerity, personal integrity, humility, courtesy, wisdom and charity.

Danny Thomas said, "All of us are born for a reason, but all of us don't discover why. Success in life has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It's what you do for others."

Benjamin Disraeli said the secret of success is constancy to purpose.

Peter Lowe, who conducts the extremely successful "Success Seminars" all over America says, "I don't think you can be a success if your business is thriving but your children hate you. I don't think you're successful if you're climbing the corporate ladder while running your health into the ground. Integrity demands that we practice habits and develop character traits that will serve us in each area of our lives. Without this balance, we cannot achieve true success."

Finally, it is my personal conviction that it is what you are able to leave behind after you're gone that will ultimately determine just how successful your stay on Earth has been. If you've left it a better place than it was when you arrived in the areas that encompass your responsibilities, then I believe you are successful. Listen to what the people I've quoted above have to say, and I'll see you at the top!

To find out more about Zig Ziglar and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com. Subscribe to Zig Ziglar's free email newsletter through ziglar.com.

Photo credit: nattanan23 at Pixabay