How to Define Your Own Success
What is your version of personal success?
Some may define success as having a lot of money, others feel successful if they are loved by many. Others define success as being healthy and giving back to the community, while others define success as having plenty of material things. But how do you define success?
Everyone defines success in different ways. Your own personal success is what makes you and your achievements unique. The stay-at-home-mom may define success as being able to get up in the morning and meet her family’s needs throughout the entire day until everyone goes to sleep. The career woman may define success as being promoted within her company or even starting her own. The athlete may define success as climbing the ladder within the NFL or NBA. Then again, there are some who define success in simply living and enjoying each day.
What you need to do is evaluate how you view success. What does success mean to you? What do you want to get out of your life? These are questions that you must ask yourself when deciding what drives you.
Self-Reflection Questions to Ponder
In order to discover what you want in life you may want to ask yourself a few questions such as:
- “Where do I want to be in 5 years?” This is not the question “Where do I see myself in 5 years?” Think about what you want in five years. If you ask yourself where you see yourself, you’re simply going to see yourself as a glorified version of now.
- “How do I define happiness in my career?” It is important to assess whether or not you’re feeling fulfilled in your work.
- “How do I get to the places I want to be?” You need to know how to get to where it is you want to be. You can’t go there blind or expect it to fall into place all on its own. You have to be proactive to make things happen.
- “What areas in my life do I want to succeed?” We all want to succeed in more than just one area in our lives, so set multiple goals. For example, one goal may relate to your career while other goals may relate to your relationship, children, or hobbies.
- “What are my goals in life?” This coincides with what areas you want to succeed, but you must actually write down your goals and set real milestones that you can accomplish.
- “What kind of balance do I need in my life?” You must find a balance between work, family, and personal time for you to feel fulfilled. If you have a tendency to over-extend yourself, it’s important to find an equal balance so no area of your life goes unnoticed.
Evaluate Yourself and Your Needs
Those self-reflection questions open the door for you to discover and define what success means to you. Others cannot decide your success. If you follow someone else’s blueprints to success and it doesn’t fit with your personality, then you’re going to be miserable. You just have to evaluate yourself and put your dreams, wants, and needs into perspective. After all, your success is yours. No one can make the decisions for you!
