When perusing through any size bookstore, a practice that is slowly fading from existence in this digital world, you will find among the many different sections of books by topic, a plethora of books written over the years by experts describing ways to improve your life.

And not just your own life, but many books dedicated to making you the successful manager of people you always wanted to be.  Showing you procedures and best practices to motivate those employees under your supervision to excel, and in turn, making your own career more successful, will soon have you soaring to the top of your firm, if followed correctly.

I normally don’t tarry long in that section, if I go down the aisle at all, but when I do, I always wonder why there are so many books on the topic.  I mean, if the first book actually made me more successful, does the second build on that early success, or does it take me in an entirely opposite direction?  If the former is the case, what would happen if I read the second or the third book first? Would I miss out on the important steps that provided the background and essentials for following the advice in the later volumes?

And if they are taking me down another avenue of success, why waste time reading the first editions, that must not have been the correct way to improve, since the later editions changed the methods? I find it all too confusing.

But believe me, I quite understand there is no one-size-fits-all for success, so how do you determine the best path to take when navigating such a cluttered landscape?  How do you know which methods will work for you, and which could actually lead to your career becoming mired in mediocrity?

Not too awful long ago, a college education was the exception rather than the norm.  As lately as 50 years ago, many rural communities had a high number of residents that never finished high school, who went to work in industries that required physical labor, and expected to work there for the rest of their lives, as their parents before them.

Modern efficient machines, newer technologies, trade deals with foreign nations, and even robotics have taken their toll on those types of industries with high physical labor costs, with many of them now sourcing their products from global areas of cheaper labor.  At the same time, the high school drop-out rate has fallen dramatically, and now the majority of young adults are going to at least some continued higher education.

The days of going to work every day in the same factory are almost behind us, partly for economic reasons, but also because young people have no desire to work in the same place for years on end.  Many are not even willing to remain tethered to the same part of the country as were there parents, and with increased efficient travel options and instantaneous communication devices, who can blame them?  How can anyone be successful in such a continually changing atmosphere?

One thing is constant; whether or not you are successful depends on how you personally define success.  You may want to be the head of a large corporation, you may want to be the football coach at your old high school, or you may want to be a stay-at-home Mom for your kids.  All of these, and so many others, are worthy of being defined as successful.

Being what you want to be makes you a success.  You won’t find the way to make that happen in my words, or in any of those books.  You must decide what you want to do to become successful in your own mind, which is the only place where it counts.

And don’t be surprised if your chosen path changes later in life.  It may take a few tries to find your true calling, as many seniors have done.

Whatever it is, give it your best, and success will follow.