Success has a different definition for each one of us. Former prosecutor, politician, and now Fox News host Trey Gowdy said success is an ongoing effort for him. In a new book, Gowdy shares the framework for what made him a successful professional. Recently, he joined The Brian Kilmeade Show to discuss his new project Start, Stay, or Leave: The Art of Decision Making.
“I write in this book about some of the best-known names in history,” said Gowdy. “Who defines success for you? It took me a while to get out of letting other people do it.”
Gowdy said that he used to follow the pyramid defined for success, meaning that he used to think that he needed to do things that other people didn’t do.
“I need the mirror approach,” he explained. “Do I like the person I see in the mirror? The people that are closest to me; my wife, my children, my parents, my closest friends, are they proud of what they see?”
Gowdy served as the U.S. representative for South Carolina’s 4th congressional district from 2011 to 2019. He served as a federal prosecutor in the District of South Carolina from 1994 to 2000 and then as the district attorney for South Carolina’s Seventh Judicial Circuit, comprising Spartanburg and Cherokee counties from 2000 to 2010.
“My parent’s generation was different. If you were good at something they thought that God gave you a gift and you had to use it,” said Gowdy. “I have kind of pivoted to, if he (God) gave you the gift, he should also give you the desire.”
Gowdy added that he takes a similar approach with his children in that if they are good at something, he uses love to guide his decision making and his approach to handle the situation. He added that over the years, he’s made some great decisions and some not-so-great ones.
