Words from someone who has achieved a successful standing, such as Dr. Jordan B. Peterson, impart guidance to those seeking direction from a role model with the sincerest of qualities and most admirable of attributes. Peterson has provided those words of guidance in “Success,” a new series exclusively available on DailyWire+.
Peterson is arguably one of the best influential teachers to speak on the topic of success, though he would not be the one to make such a claim. When you meet Peterson, he is humble, never one to make arrogant remarks; considerate, always interested in even the strangers who surround him; and engaged, kindly focused on whoever speaks to him. He has a remarkable ability to concentrate solely on the person in front of him, almost as though all extraneous happenings have disappeared from his sight.
But the markers are clear, as he has achieved what most would define as success. He has come to popularity among crowds of the average man and woman searching for trusted guidance in life. He stands toe-to-toe with academic intellectuals, challenging them in their thinking while at the same time learning alongside them. He has interviewed some of the most noteworthy people in this generation and has been interviewed by the most noteworthy outlets. His family surrounds him with support and love. The facts of Peterson’s life give him a firm foundation on which to speak on success.
Cast in a large Roman library, the setting appears regal as Peterson sits facing the camera in a wooden chair, with the Biblioteca Villanciano’s vastness in the background. He addresses the viewer directly, as though you sit straight across from him in an intimate conversation. Though he is a renowned speaker, a world-class lecturer, and an accomplished clinical psychologist in both scholarship and practice, Peterson does not have any airs of pretension about him. He is confident, yet relaxed; knowing, yet assuaging. Attentive as though you sit immediately before him, Peterson begins his discourse.
Leading without fanfare, he addresses the qualities ordinarily associated with success: “Let’s talk about some of the markers of success: money, fame, power,” he states matter of factly as he launches into the topic of money. “You hear this saying, ‘Money is the root of all evil.’ That’s not the saying,” he corrects. “The saying is, ‘The love of money is the root of all evil.’” Peterson cites the sixth chapter of 1 Timothy, as he synthesizes biblical knowledge with practical wisdom, never disparaging the viewer but rather consistently bolstering their knowledge. He has a unique way of taking commonly referenced sayings, no matter their origin, and clarifying their meaning so as to make them accessible, able to be understood and put into practice.
He starts broadly, discussing trade and trustworthy reciprocity at an economic level, and moves to being specific, illuminating the topic at an individual level for the viewer. Money is not the worst proxy for success, yet it is insufficient, as Peterson suggests. “As the cliche insists, there’s all sorts of things money can’t buy,” he explains and follows with an anecdote: A rich elderly man cannot buy the youth of a young person; given the opportunity to receive $20 million at the cost of becoming 85 years old, the young person would not likely accept. It is the young person who then has the advantage. “If you’re wise,” he concludes, “you don’t dare to be sanctimonious or holier than thou about the signals of valid trade.”
With regard to validity, Peterson distinguishes between valid and invalid fame. He defines the difference between the two, then addresses the issues of selling out and pandering to the crowd. If the pursuit of fame comes from a desire for notoriety and name recognition and is divorced from genuine social utility that is reciprocal, it becomes pathological. He delineates, “So, is there something wrong with wanting to be admired? Probably. Probably what’s more accurate is: There’s nothing wrong with wanting to live in a manner that other people would deem admirable. That’s a more sophisticated take on the idea.”
As he moves to the topic of power, Peterson asks: “Why would you equate success with power?” Certainly, we do so naturally. Successful people are, most assuredly, powerful people, whether in their specific field or in society at large, but it is how they use their skills that matter. As Peterson goes on to discuss, there is utility in being a leader, but the qualities of leadership (discernment in direction, unification, and accomplishment) can be easily confused with the ability to wield power. Real leaders listen and problem-solve, Peterson explains, saying, “If you intervene at the right time, you don’t need to use power. And why use compulsion when you can use persuasion?” Real leaders can correct a crisis when it is 50 miles away, so it never actually becomes a crisis.
‘MONEY, FAME, & POWER’ NOW STREAMING ON DAILYWIRE+
Happiness and stability are the next subjects into which Peterson delves, as they are often associated with success. Peterson has been consistent over his years of teaching to impress upon his listeners the importance of sacrifice in the present for security in the long term, and he remains consistent now, remarking, “There’s a stability that emerges as a consequence of the willingness to forego impulsive gratification that’s a hallmark of maturity.” Genuine intense pleasure comes from progress made toward a goal, and when stability, predictability, and security occur over a long period of time, “you’re not talking about happiness anymore; you’re talking about something more like iterable stability.”
Peterson warns of the notion of emotions, such as happiness, being linked to success: “The error in that presupposition is the implicit assumption that your subjective emotional state is the right marker for what constitutes success.” This becomes problematic because “that doesn’t take other people into account.” He goes on, saying, “There isn’t anything worse that can happen to you, on average, than to not get along with people.” He assures listeners of the degree to which we are the most social of creatures.
Concluding with the topic of multidimensional harmony, Peterson clarifies its relationship to success. Health of an integrated self, a long-term sexually committed romantic relationship, and communication within that relationship shield one from being impulsive, calling back to stability. There is danger, however, in thinking of success as fundamentally subjective. “It’s a big mistake. You want to be integrated into a hierarchy of social community in a manner that’s harmonious.”
Such harmony is the hallmark of success, words that Peterson leaves with his viewers to guide them to an understanding of success and the ability to harness success in their own lives. “You’ll be in the right place at the right time, doing the right thing.”