If you are reading the articles on the Worldwide Success site you are obviously interested in the subject of success.  We have discussed in many of the articles here that success means different things to different people.  But many of us fault on putting too much emphasis on our careers at the cost of neglecting other important aspects of a truly successful lifestyle.

In the book “There’s More to Life Than the Corner Office”, Lamar Smith and Tammy Kling eloquently capture the harsh realities faced by many people who put one hundred percent of their effort on their jobs and ignore other important aspects of life, like family, health, helping others, and doing what is right.

The book is a very easy read that revolves around the character Patrick Mitchell who by chance runs into a very successful CEO and business tycoon called Al Crafton at an airplane.  At first Patrick does not recognize who Al Crafton is, and is turned off by Al Crafton’s down to earth demeanor.

Later he finds out that Al is not only very powerful, but he also realizes Al’s business could become very lucrative for his firm.  Consequently, Patrick is put on a mission by his boss to go after the account.

In the process of trying to win the account, Patrick discovers that winning the account will not be so easy.  But most importantly, he finds out that Al Crafton has something much more important to offer him:  the wisdom to achieve true success and the willingness to coach him.

Before Patrick met Al, he thought he was in the driver’s seat, living a successful life that was totally focused on a fast-track career.  He knew where he wanted to go and was convinced that as long as he kept making the right deals, pleasing the right people and following his career pursuits, he would get where he wanted to be: ahead of the pack.

What Patrick did not realize was the cost of his presumed “success”.   Until he met Al, he did not realize what his total focus on the corner office was costing him: his marriage, his health, his financial freedom, and the opportunity to grow much beyond his narrow definition of success.

 When Al takes Patrick as a student he completely turns his life around.  Through the coaching sessions with Al, Patrick starts to recognize the true meaning of success and starts living a truly successful life.  It wasn’t until he faced the reality of a unsatisfying job in which his boss only looked after himself – and in the process lost his job – that Patrick truly started the transformation in his life.

Sometimes it takes a powerful event, like the loss of a job, for people to truly reset themselves and rethink what is truly meaningful to them.  If you are lucky enough to have a good coach like Patrick did, losing one’s job can sometimes be the best thing that happens to people.

If you are in the same position as Patrick, putting all you energy towards getting that corner office at the cost of sacrificing other important aspects of your life, or even if you are just seeking the true meaning of success, I would highly recommend that you read the book.