Success… what?

Your Definition of Success

Everyone has their ideas about life, how things work, how society should run, and what other people should think, say, or do... or not think, say, or do. This is my Definition of Success. If you don’t agree—great! This is a conversation, and I’d love to hear your comments as well.

What is Success?

Success is a process that requires movement: constant movement. I call it taking the next step. To become successful, you need to take action. People don’t usually become successful by doing nothing. It’s like the person looking for a job. Day after day, they sit on the couch, watch TV, play video games, and complain that they can’t find a job. They can’t find a job because they’re sitting on the couch, and, chances are, no employer will come looking for them in their house while sitting on their couch. We all know that it takes effort to go out and find a job.

Success is no different. It takes effort to become and stay successful. If you drop your guard, you will find that the train of success has left you behind.

In business, something is known as staying ahead of the competition and being market-relevant. Companies that do not remain market-relevant soon find themselves out of business. A historic example is a horse and buggy. Companies that did not shift to automobiles found themselves out of the market. Becoming successful takes effort, but that’s not the end. We must discover what we don’t know so we’re not overtaken by irrelevance. A simple example is financial success. If we only spend and never bring anything in, we soon will have nothing.

My definition of success is…

You are successful if you are taking steps toward your goal. Success is not an external condition. It is a state of mind. People recognize certain externalities as a point of success, like a certain amount of money, certain positions of power, driving a particular car, and we could go on and on. People have many ideas about what success looks like. But for my definition,

You are successful if you find yourself in a position of contentment. You can experience success in the journey as you move towards your goal.

That’s a pretty open definition, but let’s think about it. Plenty of people have external wealth, positions, you name it, and they are not content, happy, or satisfied. Is that success? Are they experiencing success? I don’t think so, but you can disagree and comment. (That’s the nice thing about an online blog vs. a book; you can join the conversation.)

With that definition, you can progress towards your goal and experience success. Your goal is your goal, and I can guarantee it will probably change at least a bit as you take steps toward it. Below, I provide some tips to help you move toward your goal. But I hope I’ve challenged your idea of success and helped you realize that success isn’t all about getting somewhere. It’s enjoying the journey.

Your Tip…

Most people want to be successful. However, some don’t feel that they are. Why? Perhaps they view success as a future achievement. It may not be necessary to achieve your goal to be successful. You can be successful on your journey.

Here’s how to be Successful:

1. Assess where you are

2. Think about where you want to be

3. Determine a plan to get you there

4. Take a step

5. Evaluate your progress

6. Adjust your plan

7. Take another step

8. Rinse and Repeat

9. Take the next step in Your Success by working with a coach.