What Do You Mean by Success?

Have you made it? Have you reached the level of success in your life that you want to achieve?

No matter how many obstacles we overcome, or goals we complete, many of us feel dissatisfied and continue to struggle with feelings of insecurity and self-doubt. We feel unfulfilled and push ourselves to do more and be more. We’re so caught up being busy pursuing success we forget to enjoy what we’ve already achieved.

Deciding what you want out of life, and figuring out where your career, loved ones, money and lifestyle all fit into your vision of success, is the key to achieving satisfaction.

Get Personal

It’s impossible to be content and at peace if you don’t have a clear idea of what success looks like. As with any other goal in your life, you must have a vision of what you want to achieve, and a plan for how to achieve it.

Living a successful life means different things to different people because every individual is unique with their own interests, tastes and preferences. Rather than allowing the expectations of others to define success for you, you should take the time to define what success means personally for each of us.

What activities truly make you happy and bring you joy? What do you dream of doing? What do you want to be known for? Picture what having a meaningful, successful life will look like to you, and envision exactly how your life will be different once your dreams become reality.

Make Plans and Measure Your Progress

The next step to having a successful life is to figure out what steps you need to take to make your dreams a reality. It’s easier to achieve success by setting smaller, measurable goals. This way, you can see the progress that you are making as you work towards achieving success and adjust your plan as conditions change.

It’s also important to define your boundaries when you are creating your path to success. Do you know what are you willing to sacrifice in your pursuit of success? What are you willing to give up? What steps do you need to take to ensure that your pursuit of success in one area of your life, such as your career for example, doesn’t come at the cost of too much of another area of your life, such as your relationship with your loved ones? Learning to balance the needs of competing goals is also an important aspect of achieving a successful life.

Be Flexible

Over time, your idea of success may change. You might find the cost to achieve success is one area is too high, and so you may need to adapt or change your plans. Your interests and idea of success might also change. When this happens, don’t be afraid to adjust your life plan, even if it means a complete change in the direction of your life. You haven’t failed. The important thing is to stay focussed on what you truly want to receive in life, and what you want to give.

Define Your Own Success

This last point is really important. Only you know what success is – what it looks or feels like, and what freedoms it gives you. Your friends might define success in terms of salary or position, but if your idea of success is to enjoy work and have plenty of time to enjoy your home life, too, then that’s what you aim for. Don’t let anyone else tell you what you should or should not value. It’s your life and your happiness that matter. Stick to your own dream.

Keeping Your Eyes on the Prize

Writing down your personal definition of success, and keeping a journal listing your achievements and the progress that you are making towards having a successful life can provide you with valuable insight and perspective. As you face and overcome obstacles to achieving success, look back on your achievements. Appreciate how much you have improved in various areas of your life and how far you have come. As you reflect don’t be surprised if you discover that you are already successful!

If you choose to make this year your best year yet, but aren’t quite sure where to start, I’d love to help you achieve in 2016 that which you didn’t even think possible. I’m offering a free 28 Day Challenge to Set Yourself up for Success where you will receive 4 weekly emails to focus wholly and solely on you and your success in 2016. You’ll walk away with a clear plan for the year plus a sense of certainty and confidence around kicking some big goals. Let’s make 2016 wildly successful for you! All you need to do is join the Challenge here.