Define Success.
it’s harder than you think.
Once you have an idea of what success looks like to you, ask yourself this question and be honest friends…do you hold yourself to that definition or do you chase another definition?
There’s a chance the way you define it and how you look at your own success conflict.
I struggle with that greatly and I would guess I’m not alone in this category.
Most days, I don’t consider myself successful at all. It’s only been the past year with a younger professional working close to me that I’ve taken a step back to see myself as successful…mostly because she’s kind enough to tell me that I am. Thank you Xan.
Why is this success thing so hard? Because it's easy to define it one way and then live life under another standard.
There’s a whole lot of people out there talking about the definition of success and what it truly is. A lot of these people can buy islands if they wanted to, so it’s hard to relate to them however their definitions are typically the most grounded.
Success comes from within.
Wow Mathias, what an annoying sentence.
Well, it may be annoying but for me, it’s true. When you stop worrying about the house, the car, the vacations, the fame or fortune and simply live in a state of love, happiness and content…that is success.
When you look around you and you feel full…that is success.
When you can look in the mirror and smile…that is success.
When you are as excited as your dog to wake up…that is success.
And for me, it has to be that way. Why? Because I consider myself a fairly driven individual, pushing myself and wanting to further my life in many ways. If I set a line or a goal that will define success, I’ve found something happens with astonishing regularity…
The line moves. The goal gets bigger. You obtain what you thought would fill you up and dream bigger. In this all too familiar scenario success will never be achieved.
I’m going to pause and let that sink in as a reminder for myself.
(pause)
The line moves. The goal gets bigger. So I can’t let those things define my success.
(deep breath)
I do not do this perfectly. Far from it actually. A big part of writing this is because it’s been a huge struggle for me.
Now I have to note that I am aware there are deeper roots to my struggle with success. Specifically that I push myself and strive in so many ways in hopes that others look at that instead of the fact that I’m a recovering alcoholic.
That’s another blog post, so consider yourself teased on that front :)
Let us know how you define success, I’d love to hear your definition.
Thanks for being here. Talk to you soon.
- Mathias John
