True Success: A New Philosophy of Excellence

by Tom Morris

Tom Morris is the Notre Dame philosophy professor whose classes have become a campus legend and whose nationwide speaking engagements have brought a new ethics of excellence to the business world. Now he reveals in a wise and joyous book how the pursuit of true success leads to genuine achievement—and genuine happiness. He offers a framework for success that he calls “The 7 Cs”—seven basic concepts that are essential to meeting life’s challenges. And he creates realistic guidelines for putting our beliefs into practice and making our goals become realities.
 
He doesn’t just shed new light on old problems—he sheds old light on new problems, referring to the great thinkers of the past and revealing the continuing importance of their message in the world of today. With down-to-earth humor and honesty, Tom Morris offers us a renaissance of values—and possibility of deep, lasting fulfillment in work, love, and play.

Genres: Philosophy

288 pages, Paperback

First published March 23, 1994

About the author

There is more than one author by this name. This profile contains various Tom's.

Reviews

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I continue to reread portions of this book relevant for work, love, and play.

[Gonzalo Cordova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every person interested in achieving a successful life should read this book! Tom Morris explains that success is mistakenly associated with wealth, fame, power, or high social status. In contrast, true success is rooted in our ideas of excellence and fulfillment for the benefit of ourselves and others. Moreover, Morris presents a detailed explanation of his 7-C framework to achieve true success.

Beyond the 7-C framework, I particularly enjoyed the multiple Psychology concepts and frameworks sprinkled throughout the different chapters. To name a few, Morris shares about genuine options to decide when to take action, PLAN for success (prepare, launch, adjust, and network), reticular activation systems, the 5-I framework for positive change to cure inconsistent behavior against our values, dimensions of human life, and the 4-U thesis for human happiness.

This is a must-read title for anyone interested in Positive Psychology and self-help.

[Biff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Professor Morris, a philosopher instructor at Notre Dame, provides seven steps he considers necessary for success / happiness. Pretty basic stuff, but he includes some interesting and often funny stories to help put his points across.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book could have made shorter, and the things it talks about can be found in other books. Made more for those who haven't read that many philosophy books. I wouldn't recommend it to my team, but not horrible book.

[Bill Dellecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This masterwork of personal philosophy takes us on a journey through the "7C's of Success" that collectively lead to a life of significance; I witnessed firsthand how they guided the purposeful like of my youngest son. If you are beginning your personal leadership journey, start here.

[Luigino Bottega · Rating 5 out of 5]

WoW book!

[Ray Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tom Morris has accomplished something remarkable in this book. He has made the thinking of the history's greatest minds much more accessible for the lay person. Instead of surrounding philosophy with elitist airs, he focuses on how important it is to apply the great thinking of the past to our everyday lives.
Morris begins by debunking the popular myth of success, by weaving the thoughts of Socrates, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Aristotle to name a few cleanly into the text he shows quite convincingly that becoming our best selves is the surest path to lasting success. His view is also quite practical - he recognizes that the measure of your life is in what you do, or what you think. Also, he understands that money is a very necessary part of life; it's just not a satisfying goal in and of itself.
Morris' 7Cs framework is a useful guide to pursuing success. As he points out the path to success isn't always easy. The 7Cs framework is a useful map, especially when you have to navigate the rough spots. At the end of the day one might agree or disagree with some of the ideas presented in the book. However, Mr. Morris should be given all the credit for his abnormal analytical skills and strong ability in combining philosophy, humor and life experience all in one book. Enjoy!