Mark Zuckerberg is the epitome of young and rich. When asked what was one of his secrets to success, he gave a surprising answer saying giving importance to your family is one of the factors that will contribute to your success.
In a world where dog eats dog and the focus is on getting more, Zuckerberg's advice on how to be successful comes both as a surprise and a breath of fresh air. Yet if you look at the life of the most successful people in the world, they actually have given importance to their families.
Zuckerberg believes that shutting down and focusing on your family at least one day every week. He said that it is wrong to chase success the whole day when you have no one to share it at the end of the day. You can be obsessed and linear about success but no matter what happens, don't take your family for granted. Zuckerberg practiced what he preached by taking two whole months off when his wife gave birth to their first baby.
Another nugget of wisdom that a lot of people have a hard time doing but is essential in success is your ability to say no. For example, when Facebook became super successful, he got a lot of offers to add this or that feature. He even got huge buyout offers but he turned down most of those which did not fit in his general goal and plan. Focus is important or you'll get distracted by trivial matters.
In all these things, Zuckerberg believes that success is not just about money but living for a higher purpose. It was evident in one of his letters to his shareholders where he said that Facebook was not built to become a company but to just make people more open and connected. Making money as your motivation for success will eventually wear you out but if you have a higher purpose, that purpose will sustain you even in the most trying times.
