1 In a moment , I’m going to ask you to close your eyes, think about one word, and tell me what comes to mind . Not yet. First you have to know what the word is. 2 The word is “success”. 3 Now close your eyes, sit quietly, and tell me what comes to mind. 4 That’s your current 1 definition 2 of “success”. 5 When I do that experiment, I open my eyes to see the same thing I imagined when my eyes were closed. That’s probably because I’m a lot older than you and happy with what I’ve achieved 3 in life. 6 However, I still have goals. I’m still hungry to accomplish 4 certain things, as that’s what life is all about. And actually 5 , wealth 6 was never my goal and never my definition of success, or else, I’m certain that I would not be fulfilled 7 . 7 This is the essence 8 of one of life’s great ironies 9 : Success leads to money. Money rarely 10 leads to success. It’s real-world 11 logic 12 . 8 If you’re true to yourself and achieve your goals, not only will you feel fulfilled, but you’ll also find plenty of money when you arrive at your destination 13 . 9 But if wealth is your definition of success, you will possibly never achieve it. It’s superficial. It’s not fulfilling. The more you have, the more you want. The more you spend, the more you need. 10 VCs are a great example of what I’m talking about. Since some of them manage 14 $1 billion funds, you’d imagine that their entire lives have been focused on generating 15 and increasing their own wealth. Not true, at least not for any of the top tech industry VCs I’ve known. 11 Most of them cut their teeth as engineers 16 , researchers, analysts 17 , or marketers 18 who eventually became successful through the efforts of a long period. During long years, their goals were inevitably 19 related to their work, not their wealth. 12 Then, and only then, did they become investors 20 . If they’re successful 21 at that, then personal wealth comes with the territory 22 . 13 Look at it this way. If your professional goals are to enjoy what you do for a living, work hard at it, and accomplish things you’re proud of, then you’ll possibly achieve all that and make all the money you need to be happy. That’s how it works in the real world. 14 If, on the other hand , you want to follow the examples of millionaires or billionaires 23 who really just want to talk about themselves, be my guest. Just remember one thing. That’s not what any of them were doing on their way up.