To answer the question, I don’t know. But there are any number of people who make a career of finding answers to this question. And we Americans have always been avid consumers of the latest big idea. At present, the secret ingredient is grit, but if we interpret that in old-fashioned terms like persistence, conscientiousness, hard work, it doesn’t seem like a new idea at all.

 

Here is another view about what makes for success in life–and what does not. The authors, Christopher Chabris and Joshua Hart, teach psychology at Union College in New York. They critique a book by Yale law professors Amy Chua and her husband Jed Rubenfeld, which claims to pinpoint the secrets of success.

 

If you recall, Chua wrote a bestseller a few years ago about how to turn your children into high achievers (“Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother”). She espoused a harsh disciplinary regime (“no excuses,” no fun, no wasted time). In their book, Chua and Rubenfeld identify a package of three characteristics that they say explain success: belonging to a certain ethnic group (e.g., Cubans, Jews, Indians); having a strong sense of personal insecurity; and strong impulse control.

 

Chabris and Hart say that their own research contradicts the conclusions of Chua and Rubenfeld.

 

They write:

 

“We found no special “synergy” among the triple package traits. According to Professors Chua and Rubenfeld, the three traits have to work together to create success — a sense of group superiority creates drive only in people who also view themselves as not good enough, for example, and drive is useless without impulse control. But in our data, people scoring in the top half on all three traits were no more successful than everyone else….

 

“Our studies affirmed that a person’s intelligence and socioeconomic background were the most powerful factors in explaining his or her success, and that the triple package was not — even when we carefully measured every element of it and considered all of the factors simultaneously.”

 

The trouble with all this reasoning, surveying, and speculating about success is that we operate from different definitions of success.

 

What is success? It all depends on what you value most.

 

Is it making the most money? Many who achieve billions have very unhappy personal lives.

 

Is it becoming famous? See the bit above about unsatisfying personal lives.

 

Is it achieving professional distinction?

 

Is it giving your life to a cause greater than yourself?

 

Is it being known as the most beloved teacher in your community?

 

Is it being a wonderful father, mother, friend?

 

Success depends on what matters most to you.