Jerry Seinfeld Says This Is the Best Way to Achieve Success on YOUR Terms

Jerry Seinfeld is a great example of how successful people are successful because they do things differently than other people. (So much so that I've written about one of his processes before -- and included a story about a different process in my book.) 

Successful people think and believe and operate differently than most other people -- and in the process, they achieve differently than most other people.

In the documentary Jerry Seinfeld: Comedian, stand-up comic Orny Adams asks Jerry if he (Adams) how to decide when he should give up on pursuing his comedy dreams. "It's like you get to the point where, 'How much longer can I take it?'" Adams says. "I see my friends making a lot of money... they're moving up...."

"They're 'moving up'?" Seinfeld says. "This (referring to stand-up comedy) has nothing to do with your friends," Seinfeld says, waving his hands dismissively.

"Yeah, but what do you tell your parents?" Adams asks.

"This is a special thing," Seinfeld says. "This has nothing to do with 'making it.'" 

"Okay," Adams says. "But did you ever stop and compare your life and go, 'I'm 29, my friends are all married and have kids, they all have houses, they all have some sort of sense of normality...'

"Ick," Seinfeld says. "Let me tell you a story. This is my favorite story about show business."

"Glenn Miller's orchestra is doing a gig somewhere. They can't land the plane because it's winter, a snowy night... they have to land in this field and walk to the gig. They're dressed in their suits, they're ready to play, they're carrying their instruments. 

So they're walking through the snow, it's wet and slushy, and in the distance they see this little house. There are lights on inside, there's a curl of smoke coming out of the chimney, and they go up to the house and look in the window. 

"Inside they see this family. There's a guy and his wife, she's beautiful, there's two kids, and they're all sitting around the table, they're smiling, they're laughing, there's a fire in the fireplace... 

"These guys are standing there in their suits. They're wet and shivering, holding their instruments, and they're watching this incredible Norman Rockwell scene.

"And one guy turns to another guy and goes, 'How do people live  like that?'

"That's what this is about."

Of course, everyone's definition of success is (and should be) different. For many, a home and a family is near the top of the list. But for others, it's not. Maybe not now. Maybe not ever. And that's okay.

That's more than okay. 

Much of the time you should at least consider what other people think, but not when it stands in the way of living the life you really want to live.

For example, if you really want to start a business (which you can do in just a few hours) but you're worried that people might say you're crazy... do it anyway. If you want to embrace a different formula for work/life balance than most other people... do it anyway. If you want to accomplish something silly like doing 100,000 pushups in one year... go for it.

Pick one thing you haven't tried primarily because you're concerned about what other people might think or say. 

And just go do it.

It's your life. Live it your way.

Check out my book of personal and professional advice, TransForm: Dramatically Improve Your Career, Business, Relationships, and Life -- One Simple Step At a Time. (PDF version here, Kindle version here, Nook version here.) 

If after 10 minutes you don't find at least five things you can do to make your life better, I'll refund your money. That way you have nothing to lose... and everything to gain.