The Art And Science Of Success

As someone who continues to study deeply what it means to live a purposeful and holistically successful life, I’ve found there are really two different aspects to consider. They’re the yin and yang, the art and science that come together to create an outcome that is greater than the sum of its parts:

To summarize it quickly, there’s the science of achievement and the art of fulfillment.

Achievement is all oriented around results and what actually materializes into existence. Reaching a certain income amount, earning accolades, being honored in various ways, and hitting personal milestones like running a marathon or sending a child to college are all meaningful moments. A good life involves great achievements.

But achievement gets a bad reputation because it’s focused on outcomes. It neglects the internal experience that occurs when external reality shifts. Even with that considered, achievement is still important. You can’t measure impact without having tangible results. One of our greatest needs as humans is contribution, which is inherently external.

Achievement is pretty predictable, and that’s why it’s more of a science. It operates on the law of cause and effect - do these things and it’s more likely to generate corresponding results. So if you do the right things more often, you can reliably increase your level of achievement.

Then there’s the art of fulfillment. While the achievement might look great to others, it’s empty if it doesn’t feel great to you. We have an internal relationship with our external circumstances that dictates how much we’re enjoying life, and how purposeful we feel our existence is. 

Fulfillment is a mindset and a perspective. It’s a lens you view everything you do through. When you reframe hardship with gratitude or challenges as an opportunity for growth, you are changing the way you interpret life events. Without the right frame, even the greatest life achievements won’t feel substantial.

How you can best interpret life is unique to you, your values, and core beliefs. That’s what makes it an art. You take the canvas that life gives you and choose to make something beautiful with it. 

In my opinion this is the art and science of a good life: Achievement to drive meaningful external impacts, and fulfillment as a byproduct of having the right internal relationship with it.

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