Journey to Success: A Systematic Review

By Dr. Eunice Moseley

About the Book
There is so much in life going on right now and it’s hard for some to see their way forward, but this book will show them—step by step. Journey to Success: A Systematic Review explores the concept of achieving success methodically, using empirical data showing how, as well as the author’s personal life experiences of overcoming setbacks and adversity, which allows the reader to see that data in action, relate, and practice.
The purpose of the book is to inspire and motivate the readers to not give up when faced with obstacles, but instead to reflect on past successful experiences (“and we all have them from as way back as learning to walk”) and use those experiences to problem-solve their way to overcoming adversity. Readers will be able to relate to what the author has discovered in her journey of successes and put in practice in their current situations, using the resources that they have available. This book is unique in the sense that the author provides scientific data to support her assertions based on her experiences, and empirical data to support the overcoming techniques she has developed.
About the Author
Dr. Eunice Moseley’s hobbies are singing (“I recorded two albums for family and friends”) and dancing. At times she is inspired to write poems (“published two books of poems”) or draw (“designed a WEBB radio station’s new logo”). Moseley’s special interest is in uplifting others. Her ULMII conference has launched many careers, and she has interviewed icons that include Will Smith, Magic Johnson, Ne-Yo, Ciara, Queen Latifah, Gladys Knight, Bruce Willis, Mark Wahlberg, Shirley Caesar, Marvin Sapp, Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington and many others. Moseley is a widow with two daughters, three grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. She is a regular member of the Public Relations Society of America.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dorrance Publishing Company
• Release date: Sep 14, 2023
• ISBN: 9798889256359

Book preview

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The contents of this work, including, but not limited to, the accuracy of events, people, and places depicted; opinions expressed; permission to use previously published materials included; and any advice given or actions advocated are solely the responsibility of the author, who assumes all liability for said work and indemnifies the publisher against any claims stemming from publication of the work.

All Rights Reserved

Copyright © 2023 by Dr. Eunice Moseley

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted, downloaded, distributed, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, including photocopying and recording, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented without permission in writing from the publisher.

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Dedication

To My Children:

Dr. Sueqethea Jones

Dr. Kerri Moseley-Hobbs

My Grandchildren:

Shantasia Johnson-Rosado

Kayla Eldridge

Anthony Michael Hobbs

My Great-Grandchild:

Xela Johnson – Rosado

Introduction

To help someone develop success, one must listen to how that someone defines success (Enke, 2010).

This is a literary journey to systematically explore just what achieving success involves using my life (i.e., Dr. Eunice Moseley), to reflect on the process one takes so that the reader can relate and reflect on their own journey to success. Everyone wants and strives to achieve success, so let us achieve success together. The definition of success and the practice of achieving success has been scientifically examined and some of those studies’ results are presented in this book.

The definition of success will be outlined and the practice of achieving success will be presented using empirical studies and examples in my life that will allow the readers to clearly see how success was and can be achieved in their own. That process will allow the readers to duplicate that success process to turn current setbacks into successes. As a journalist I have asked many highly successful people what their definition of success was. Each had a different definition. This indicated to me that success is a relative term—different for everyone.

I concluded that success is based on what the individual believes it to be. We will scrutinize that theory with empirical studies on the topic. In this book we will examine the term success and the many ways to achieve success analytically. The definition of success that will be used in this book is doing one’s best in accomplishing a task. Success is an accomplishment if you look up the term in the dictionary. It does not say what level of accomplishment or quality of accomplishment, just a completed task. Simpson et al. (2004) suggest there are four characteristics that determines the degree of one’s best or success: (1) education, (2) experience, (3) personal characteristics (i.e., age, culture, etc.), and (4) hypothesis (i.e., a belief based on limited evidence). Success is not one level, or a certain quality obtained, it is doing your best in completing a task or goal.

This book will strategically outline why this is true. It will present to the reader how success has multiple levels, and that the quality of success varies, depending on one’s characteristics and life experiences. Someone can believe they were successful in business because they were able to pay their operating and payroll costs. Someone else would say that being able to pay one’s operating and payroll costs with no profit indicates the business is not a success. Some may say one is not successful because their profit margin is not at a certain level. What is your definition of success? Let us look at how success is doing your best to achieve a task at any level.

Anyone’s journey in life will take many roads at many levels in both personal and professional areas that will consist of success and setbacks or failures. Some of the accomplishments during my own life journeys were small, according to someone else’s standards, but 100% effort was given to it, so success was felt by me. If someone believes they did not give a task 100%, then they would feel as if they were not successful. An example, a salesperson successfully obtains a client, yet that client did not pay the invoice for your services, which for most companies is the goal—to increase revenue. Did that person who obtained the new client fail because the client did not pay their bill or were they successful because they obtained a new client?

If one believes they are not a success because the client’s bill was not paid that individual probably believes success is based on money or profit. How do you qualify success? The way in which one values achievements strongly influence the way they choose to learn self-regulation to channel their desires (Wigfield et al., 2017). Obtaining a new client proved that the employee did their best and successfully added an income source. One has no control over what the aftermath of success will be, so value the new client. The billing/accounts receivable department can go after the money due for their successful accomplishment.

3

Chapter 1

Definition

Fulfilling any personal desire is success (Misner & Morgan, 2004).

Success: Change your definition

The definition of success varies, such as success is an accomplishment; it depends on who is giving it because of such influences as culture, education, and family values. The definition used for this book is success is doing your best, and it is the framework used as we examine the term and ways of achieving success. To give any task everything one has is success because you gave it all you had, your best.

Believing success is giving it your best cannot only increase one’s motivation to do 100% but it will place that individual in an emotionally healthy state of mind about what they have achieved that will motivate them to try and go beyond their best. If someone does not value an achievement because they believe success is based on a certain amount of money, a certain level of material gain or a certain quality they will have little motivation to even reach competence (Wigfield et al., 2017). Thinking of success as doing one’s best changes the way one rationales about success, and it will open the mind up to see more clearer when one has succeeded. Knowing you have succeeded will provide motivation to do better during the next similar experience or journey. Does better mean you were not successful before when it was your best? No. Doing better is yet another level to success and your best.

One’s emotional state of mind has an influence on how much of one’s best is given (Wigfield et al., 2017). One might give more than their best, or one might give less that their best depending on what emotional state one is in. Being told one has failed is an opinion that may not be right but if one believes it, it may emotionally bring that person’s self-confidence level down. Opinions are based on limited information and someone else’s definition of success. Opinions involve the formation of attitudes and thoughts towards a thing, an action, person, or group (Davison, 1958). Just because the belief of a person is different from yours does not mean its wrong or right, it is just a point of view. Some individuals take an opinion to heart when they know their best was given. To me, when someone’s opinion makes others feel bad that means that those feeling bad believe it too. They believe it because their definition of success allows for it. One’s self-confidence level influences their belief or non-belief in someone’s opinion.

The things that shape one’s beliefs include mastery experiences (i.e., successful experiences), secondhand experiences (i.e., others’ successful experiences), social persuasions (i.e., influences), and affective states (i.e., how that experience makes one feel) (Donohoo & Katz, 2017). Change your definition of success to doing your best at accomplishing tasks and that unfavorable opinion will be just that, a point of view you can either learn from and do it differently or you can ignore it and continue doing your best. What does your self-confidence tell you about others’ opinions on your achievements?

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