The Nature of Success (book)

By: jwilder, 5/13/2025

The key to living a successful life is to have a deep understanding of the nature of success.

If you cultivate a success nature, then you will always believe, think, and act in ways that are in harmony with the nature of success.

The nature of success is:

What you Believe.
What you Love.
What you Think.
What you know.
What you Do.
Who you serve.
How you Operate.
Who you are.
Where you are.

1. What You Believe

The nature of success begins with a belief system. It is our first job to craft a set of beliefs that align with success. The most fundamental belief is your purpose. Your purpose is something you craft. It should be general and true to who you are. This is important because we all must learn who we are. We learn by doing and paying attention. Secondly, you must have a dream. Your dream is how you fulfill your purpose. Your dream is something you want to accomplish for you and is also beneficial for others. This can take time to refine. You must believe you have a purpose and that you can accomplish your dreams. It is also important to believe that your purpose and dream will reveal what you need to learn along the way. You must trust that your dream is your teacher. Living your purpose and taking action on your dream each day is the key to living a meaningful life. A meaningful life is a successful life. Enjoy the journey of living your dreams. Discover and adopt as many empowering beliefs as possible. What you believe is the foundation for your dream.

2. What You Love

Your heart is the place of continuous power. Your mind is where you reason, but your heart is where you love. True success understands the nature of the heart. It's natural to do what you love. It's natural to devote yourself to something you care about. Make no mistake, it is still work, but it's satisfying work. Love is powerful. People willingly make sacrifices for love, but it doesn't feel like a sacrifice. When your purpose and your dream are aligned with what you love you tap into a continuous flow of power. It is a gentle power. It is not forceful. But it is always available. Without love, it takes more energy to get what you want. Effort without love is only temporary. In the long term it is usually fueled by negative sources of power such as greed, anger, and competition. You eventually run out of power to continue, or your life ends up in ruin. What benefit is it to gain the world but lose your soul? Choose love and live a life full of meaning. Love never fails.

3. What You Think

The quality of your life reflects the quality of your thoughts.

Our minds are always thinking. It's impossible to not think (try it). Thoughts and ideas, good or bad, always stream from our minds. No person is immune to negative or distracting thoughts. The person most swayed by the wind of an undisciplined mind is the person with no purpose or direction. Their attention is reactive and their direction ever changing. When there is no purpose or direction there is a void, and the mind will fill this void with something, and it's usually not good.

Therefore, guard your thoughts carefully. Reject unproductive thoughts and focus only on what is good. Make your thoughts productive by aligning them with your purpose and your dream. This is the transforming process of adapting to the Nature of Success. The purposeful mind, the mind aligned with the Nature of Success, is a productive mind. It is your greatest ally. It will always move in the direction of your dreams and to ever increasing life.

4. What You Know

Knowledge in action is your unique value. Knowledge comes from learning, experiences, and deliberate practice. There are three things you must know. These three things are worthy of study for the rest of your life. The three things are (1) know your dream, (2) know the nature of success, and (3) know who you are. If you focus on your dream and the nature of success, you will learn who you are. Why? Because living your dream is the progressive revealing of the real you, your preferences, values, and purpose. Your dream calls to the depths of your being so that it takes on a material expression.

Your dream is your teacher. If you take action on your dream, it will show you what you need to know. This truth is priceless. Get this in your heart and believe it with conviction. The only way to truly know your dream is to live it. Take action on your dream every day. Take the best action that advances your dream. Your dream is your teacher, and your goal is to become a good student.

There will be many challenges. Each challenge shows you what you need to learn. As you live your dream you will have to make decisions and choices. These are personal; no one else can make them. This is where you learn about yourself; your preferences, style, aesthetic, character, and values. The deeper you know yourself, the more effective you will become.

There are many things to learn about the nature of success. Keep expanding what you know. Build expertise for long-term mastery. Learn the principles, practices, and mindset of success. Understand that your knowledge will compound and become more effective year upon year. Treat knowledge as gold; gain it, use it, retain it, and build upon it.

Know your dream. Know the Nature of Success. Know thyself.

5. What You Do

Take action. Take the best action. Take action now. Action is where the magic happens.

Take action now. A dream is incomplete without action. Taking a small amount of action is better than just dreaming. Action is how you experience your dreams. It is how you live your dreams today. Action refines your dream and gives you experience. And through experience you gain understanding.

Take specific action. Action is good, but specific action is gold. There are many things that can be done, but not all actions are helpful. Your dream helps you choose the best actions that move you forward. We do our best work when we are focused.

Combine actions. Your dream requires a unique combination of actions. There are three types of actions that should be performed regularly. The three actions are: create, serve, and invest. Life teaches us that certain combinations achieve results. For example, a combustion engine needs fuel, air, and compression in order to make usable power. In the same way, the combination of actions you choose is important to achieve the desired effect. Create value, serve others with what you create, and invest in yourself. These are the three actions that should be taken on a regular basis to achieve success.

Take enough action. You want to do all you can do, but not more. Success isn't working yourself to death. There is plenty of time. There is a natural amount of effort/action that is right. Too much effort creates injury. Too little effort and you fall short of your potential. The right amount of effort is exactly what is required. Do enough to fill the day. Natural success endures.

Action Is Ours to Command

Action completes a dream.
Action is how we live/experience our dream.
Experience is how we gain understanding.
Understanding is how we refine our dream.
A dream reveals what actions to take and provides focus.
Enough action is required.
Action is how we get results.
Consistent action creates momentum.
The three actions that work together are: create, serve, and invest.

Working Is Winning

Working is winning. There are a thousand things we could do each day. Which things should we do? A purpose and a dream help give us clear direction. When we have a clear direction we know what actions to take.

There is one phrase that I use that helps me stay action oriented, and that is:

"Working is winning."

As long as I take action towards my dream it's a win. Win every day.

6. Who You Serve

Our dreams were not meant for us alone. They are also meant to benefit others. As investor philosopher Naval Ravikant observed:

"Most of life is a search for who and what needs you the most."

Our purpose gives us a general idea of what is important to us. Our dream is something of value we bring into the world. But what does it mean to serve, and who do we serve? These are the fundamental questions we must answer.

What Does it Mean to Serve?

To serve does not mean to be ordered around by other people. It doesn't mean to live on pennies and give your wealth to the poor. It doesn't mean to ignore your own needs and constantly help others in need. Now there are some who quietly serve others out of selfless compassion. This is a sacred act of love.

The service I'm talking about is to use your talents to help a group of people you care about get what they need, want, or desire. It also means to truly care and look out for the best interests of those you serve.

Who Do You Serve?

You serve people who want what you can create. They are people you can relate to and would enjoy being around. Serving people that stress you out is not sustainable or fun. The key is to serve in a way that brings delight to you and the people you serve.

How Do You Serve?

This is the fun part. We get to use our unique talents and imagine all the ways we could help others. For example, if you dream of owning a hamburger restaurant, you start with providing hamburgers to your customers. But that is just the start. Unfortunately, that's where most businesses start and end; sell hamburgers, make a profit. That's it. Today it's a miracle if you get a smile and a thank you. Imagine the impact you could make by deeply caring about the people you serve (because it's your passion too). It's about serving in a way that is true, delightful, and satisfying.

Finally

Nature is an ecosystem of serving. The nature of success is the same. We get to use our talents to serve others and it gives us a sense of connection and significance. You just have to find your place in the ecosystem. Use your talents and serve a group of people you care about. Help them get what they want, need, or desire. This is the nature of success.

Love everyone. Serve a specific group of people you care about.

7. How You Operate

The difference between effort expended and effort invested is how well you operate.

How you operate refers to how well you oversee, manage, and lead yourself as you live your dreams. It involves understanding, incorporating, and applying the mindset and practices of success. It is the ongoing process of mastery.

There are many dimensions to “how well you operate.” Listed below are just a few areas to consider.

Today. Today is the day. Today is all you have. You must fill the day with specific action. Specific action is not just any action. It is the one best action that moves you forward. It’s the action you should take right now, rather than avoid. Specific action is intentional, thoughtful, and conscious. There are a thousand actions to choose from. Your job is to take specific action that advances you in the right direction. Value the day and own each moment.

Undivided. The nature of success is not divided. We are not divided. Your dream and your life are not separate. Your dream, job, relationships, and spiritual life all work together. There is a time for everything. Take care of what you need to take care of when you need to take care of it. All things support and work together.

Problems. There will never be a time when we have no problems. Things don't always go our way, and most of the time things take longer than expected. We recognize that problems are normal and living a successful life is about solving problems. The goal is to have better problems! Problems that you want to solve.

Respond. Life throws us many surprises. At first we react out of an emotional reflex. But the wise consider, then respond. This takes practice and experience. When the unexpected happens don't react. Instead, take sufficient time, then respond.

Seasons. The only thing constant is change. Change is inevitable. Plans will be disrupted. The right response to change or disruption is to recognize and adapt. Nature has seasons, gloomy days, droughts, disasters, and storms. It is the same way with the Nature of Success. See disruption as a season. Know that all seasons come to an end. Learn from every storm. Learn what to do in each season (you will have plenty of practice). Hold on to your purpose. It is your lighthouse through the storm. The goal is to navigate every storm in life and grow through every season.

Finally

There are many dimensions to "how you operate," and there are many parts to a dream. It is a life-long practice. The key is to value each day, keep it simple, and execute well. Execution is where the magic happens. Those who understand and leverage the Nature of Success have the greatest possibility of living a fulfilling and abundant life.

8. Who You Are

Are you reliable? Can you be trusted? Are you consistent? Can wood burn one day and not the next day? Can iron be strong one moment and be soft as butter the next? Nature is consistent. Nature has integrity. You can rely on nature.
The Nature of Success rewards those who live in harmony with its laws.

Integrity

We build with refined steel. Engineers can rely on steel. It is the same yesterday, today, and forever. If engineers build with a specific grade of steel, they know their calculations will be correct and the building will perform as designed for decades or even centuries. Refined steel has integrity. It is strong, trustworthy, and reliable.

Have integrity. Be trustworthy and consistent. Align with what is true. Adhere to basic values; don't steal, cheat, or lie. Do not be envious or jealous. All these behaviours are scarcity oriented and anti-creative. Watch the news every day and see how the mighty have fallen due to lack of integrity.

Courage

Courage is an important trait in The Nature of Success. It doesn’t mean to seek danger. It just means getting used to the idea and experience of exercising courage on a regular basis. Courage can be as simple as taking a walk when you've spent too much time indoors. It could be reaching out to someone you admire. Sometimes we think of courage in the big things and forget about the small acts of courage that could be executed each day.

Love

There are other types of success that rely on power, deceit, status, and scarcity. But they all lack a key ingredient – love. Love is the test. You cannot love people and trick them at the same time. You will not be successful. You reap what you sow; that is a law of life. Too many people have forgotten about love. They think love doesn’t matter. They think strategy, tactics, and domination are the way to success. But those are the means of systems and machines. Success comes through people. The Nature of Success operates in and through the hearts and minds of human beings, and the law of success is divine. Love people. Invest in the success of others. This is work. At times it’s not easy. But it is the highest of character. And it is not without reward.

The Nature of Success rewards integrity, courage, and love.

9. Where You Are

We do not operate alone. We are in habitat within an ecosystem. Imagine a pond where there are ducks, lily pads, tadpoles, frogs, fish, snails, and dragonflies. Each creature has its purpose and all things thrive together.

Nature sustains a wide variety of habitats and ecosystems. It is the same with the Nature of Success. The goal is to find the place that best supports you. If you make cupcakes, you need people who want and love cupcakes.

The Right Habitat

Your dream will be more difficult than necessary if you are not in the right habitat. The right habitat includes these critical criteria:

People need/want/desire what you provide.
There are always plenty of people to serve. You need to be able to reach enough people so you can sustain momentum and grow your potential.
People welcome a long term relationship with you.

Your Place Within the Habitat

Your place is where you establish your presence, refine your service, and create abundance.

Establish a Visible Presence — Be findable. This could be a business card with a phone number, a website, or a physical location.
Communicate Your Product or Service — Whatever you provide, communicate it clearly. Make it understandable.
Develop Long Term Relationships – Choose a way to communicate with your customers. Stay in touch. Repeat customers are the best customers. They love your service and love to talk about you. Learn who your best customers are (this is gold, but few do this).
Design and Refine Your System — Design a system that supports you and allows you to continue to refine and innovate.
Create Abundance — Focus on what you do well and what your people want most. Gain expertise. Continue to explore and grow.

The key point is you do not work in isolation. Find the unique habitat that allows you to contribute and thrive.

Next Chapter Coming Soon

Understand the Nature of Success and thrive in all you do.

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James Wilder

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