Success is not to be pursued; it is to be attracted by the

Hear now the wisdom of Jim Rohn: “Success is not to be pursued; it is to be attracted by the person you become.” In these words lies a teaching older than kings, older than empires, for it speaks not of fleeting victories or riches counted in gold, but of the shaping of the soul itself. Many chase after success as a hunter chases a deer, swift-footed yet ever out of reach. But Rohn, like the sages of old, teaches that the chase is vain. One must not run after success as though it were prey; one must transform into the kind of being before whom success willingly kneels.

The ancients understood this truth. The philosophers of Athens taught that character, not chance, is the foundation of greatness. Socrates did not seek glory in the marketplace; instead, he sought to refine the inner self, asking, “What is virtue?” And though he died condemned, his name shines brighter through the ages than those of his accusers. For his greatness was not in outward pursuit but in the inward transformation of his being. Thus, success was attracted to his memory, not chased in his lifetime.

Consider, too, the tale of Abraham Lincoln. Born in poverty, clad in rags, and raised in obscurity, he did not pursue success as a desperate man seeking treasure. Instead, he labored to become a man of wisdom, patience, and unshakable integrity. When the time of trial came, when the nation was torn by civil war, his character had already prepared the ground. And because he had become the man that history required, success flowed to him—not in the form of easy triumph, but in the enduring honor of holding a nation together.

Rohn’s words call us to understand that success is like a flame. The unworthy hand that grasps at it will be burned, but the hand shaped by patience, discipline, and vision will draw it near without struggle. To chase is to reveal desperation; to become is to reveal strength. In this lies the heroic truth: the greatest victories are not won by pursuit, but by attraction. Just as bees come to the flower that blooms in fullness, so too does success come to the soul that has ripened into greatness.

The lesson, then, is not to ask, “How may I gain success?” but, “How may I become worthy of it?” Ask not, “Where is fortune hiding?” but, “What must I change within myself, so fortune will seek me?” This is the way of warriors, of poets, of leaders. It is the way of all who have left lasting marks upon the world. For the one who changes himself changes the currents of fate, while the one who chases blindly remains always behind.

Therefore, let us speak of action. Cultivate discipline, for it builds the foundation of strength. Cultivate wisdom, for it opens doors that force cannot. Cultivate integrity, for it attracts trust, the rarest jewel of all. Each day, shape your inner self as a sculptor shapes marble, removing what is crude, refining what is noble. In time, your very being will radiate such power that opportunities, allies, and honors will be drawn to you as metal to a magnet.

Remember this, children of tomorrow: success is not a road you run down, but a guest that comes to your house when you have prepared it. Do not be frantic in pursuit, for pursuit breeds weariness. Instead, tend to your garden of character, and in due season the harvest will come. Become the kind of person whom success desires, and you shall never have to chase it again.