Armed with a wealth of music on my computer, I hereby declare this a "sleep-free" night, as I have 4 big projects in four different classes that I have to work on.

Which, naturally, is why I'm here :)

I've been spending a lot of time lately thinking about "successful people." Since I'm not entirely sure how I would define "success," its going to be difficult identifying successful people, but it certainly hasn't stopped me from pondering it.

If we were to define success strictly on financial terms, then Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Donald Trump, etc. would be our biggest successes. Financial success of this type of magnitude implies visionary thinking, disciplined implementation of a gameplan to capitalize on these ideas, and refusal to quit when initial failure arrives.

If we were to define success strictly on fame, then U2, Michael Jordan, Chris Rock, etc. would be our biggest successes. We're talking persistent periods of fame here, not temporary one-hit wonders or flashes-in-the-pan...requiring consistently remarkable performance and, at some point, being able to call yourself the best in the world at whatever you do (and having the world actually care about it...the "best in the world" at eating pizza doesn't really count!)

Regardless of how we end up defining success, what types of characteristics in individuals predict it? What should we be looking for?

Raw intelligence is really not a factor - a big brain can always be hired to do the job. Hard work is not a factor either - this can be picked up anywhere for the right price.

To me, the biggest determinants in achieving success are effective communication skills and an uncontained passion for one's chosen line of work.

People who can communicate a vision clearly and consistently across a wide variety of people and demographics are simply inspiring. They are unfazed by the variety of responses they get, effortlessly defeating the rapidly-mutating forms of skepticism that seem to arise in response to people hearing something new.

People who have that raw passion for what they do are equally inspiring to me. They can't be defeated...no matter what disaster may occur, or setback may hold them up temporarily, the end outcome is never in doubt.

Happiness is borne when this passion matures over time, surviving failure and relishing the triumphs that come along. Wealth is a natural extension of this process as well - our world, and particularly our country and its capitalism, rewards success lavishly for all the risk it entails.

I'm fortunate to know so many people who have these characteristics. It will be fun watching how each of these people go out and define success for themselves - on their own terms.