Alan Weiss’s Monday Morning Memo® – 7/6/26

Success

My style, for decades, has been first class. Minimize work, maximize family. Don’t feel guilty about a nice house, hobbies, cars, travel, fine dining, vacations. I’m writing this from the balcony of the W Hotel in Hoboken, anticipating the tall ships sailing up the Hudson against the New York skyline. Both Frank Sinatra and I were born here in Hoboken, both poor, both ambitious.

I’m an exemplar of, and I hope to God not the last vestige of, The American Dream.

People ask me when I knew I had “hit it,” that I was wealthy. I never knew of the moment, but one day I simply realized I was. I realized that the bills were paid, we were putting money away, we were making impulse purchases and trips, and the kids’ education would be the best available. My wife and I are both products of the public education system, right through undergraduate degrees, and my kids are products of the private school system, such reflects the educational times. My 17-year-old, twin granddaughters are, as well.

I never sought accolades or trophies, but the less I pursued them the more I received. When I was fired in 1985 I decided, with my wife’s great support, to be totally independent, and to succeed or fail on my own terms. I’ve made a lot of mistakes and still do, but I’ve learned from them and improved. If nothing else I am resilient, always moving forward.

About 30 years or so ago, a therapist, having had it with my whining about imperfections around me, thundered: “FOR GOD’S SAKE, ALAN, IT’S ABOUT SUCCESS NOT PERFECTION!” That helped change my life, I was easier on myself and on those around me, and learned to deal with the inevitable vicissitudes of life. (Unbelievably, that lesson cost me only $110 for the hour.)

So while I can’t identify the exact date and time that “success” was apparent to me, I can tell you that it was an ongoing process until one day I was conscious of it, that we could be generous philanthropically but also generous to ourselves.

Some of you may consider this boasting, but my (perhaps feeble) attempt is to demonstrate that you need to give yourself permission to be successful, allow for your own and others’ imperfections, focus on your family and your health, and enjoy what life has to offer instead of seeing constant strife, and guilt, and stress.

I tell you this right after Independence Day in the US because I’ve been to over 60 countries and I’m quite confident I could not have done as well elsewhere. I forever appreciate being here. And I want to stress to you that life is not a long, slow crawl through enemy territory, it is not being lost in the darkness.

Rather, It’s an intelligent walk in what light we have and what light we can create. May those fireworks be the light in your soul.

Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy. —Norman Vincent Peale

Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it. —Bruce Lee

Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. —Albert Schweitzer

The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will. —Vince Lombardi

Successful people have a social responsibility to make the world a better place and not just take from it. —Carrie Underwood