The dictionary defines success as “the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors; the accomplishment of one’s goals.” Sounds pretty simple right? So all one needs to do is to set a goal, meet it, and voila – you are a success.
Whoa, not so fast you say. I set goals. I meet goals. Why don’t I feel successful? There’s a lot more to an individual person’s definition of success than how the dictionary describes it.
So let’s explore five unique ways to define success, what they represent and how they may be present in your life.
5 Unique Ways to Define Success
1. Creative Freedom
2. Financial Stability
For some people, financial stability is the mark of success. Of course, the phrase financial stability has a different meaning for everyone. We are not going to go too deep down that rabbit hole here. Let’s just throw a couple of different options out there for now.
To some, financial stability is having control over their time, workload, and income so that they can continuously earn the income they want without fail and without working more than they want.
To others, financial stability is having that life they have always dreamed of (and for every one of us this is different). Dreams like living a nomadic life. Or buying a beachfront home. Or owning a home in the states and one in Spain. You get the idea.
Financial stability can also mean meeting your monthly obligations and fulfilling your basic needs. We all know what this is about. And, unfortunately for far too many people, this is not an easy task.
Any one of these scenarios can be defined as a financial success by someone.
3. Learning
How to define learning as a mark of success? Some people might consider themselves a success once they have graduated high school, or college, or received their doctorate.
For others, learning is an ongoing process. They are always seeking out the next online course or the next webinar that comes across their screen. They feel successful each time they complete one.
Then there is life learning that helps make you successful too.
Things like the achievement of something that you have been trying to do. Like finishing reading War and Peace. Or training for a 10K race. Or booking your first client. Ah, success!
What about sometimes having to say no? This doesn’t mean you are selfish. It just means you know where your priorities lay and what you need to give your attention to.
Try giving more than you take. Helping others creates an environment where others will want to help you. It also helps to create a world we all want to live in.
Learn one new thing every day. No matter how small or big.
Learning successfully? Yes, no, maybe? It’s all how you define it.
4. Lifestyle Design
Lifestyle design success is spotlighting the things in your life that are important: your family, your health, your hobbies, and still being able to deliver great work. Simply put it is the act of arranging work around your lifestyle, not the other way around.
Some might say impossible. But for others, to them, this is the sight and sound of success.
There’s a fine line about learning how to balance life. The difference between chaos and peace. Neither of which can be fully mastered.
But if you are among those who have found a way to design your life, arrange those things that are important to you while still delivering great work. Kudos to you!
5. Mindset
How would you define a successful mindset? Let’s start with where one’s heart soars – the home. One can always feel successful where one calls home – be it a specific structure, a country, a city, or even a person. Any place you feel comfortable and safe is home.
Confidence and believing in yourself are also good mindsets to have. Believing in yourself enables you to achieve the goals you set for yourself. Confidence gives you the strength to go out and meet the world on your terms.
Another trait is perseverance – not giving up. When (and it will definitely be when not if) you feel like giving up, remind yourself of your “why” and your grit and determination will return and you will succeed.
When you replace your negative thoughts with positive thoughts, you have reached another type of mindset success. Problems should not be approached as obstacles, but as tasks that you need to complete in order to keep moving forward.
In review, the definition of success is so much more than what the dictionary says. Here we’ve discussed at least five unique definitions of success with many different levels and many different types of success in each one.
Success is going to look and feel different for each and every one of us. It is a journey. A constantly changing one. There is no one path. There is no map provided. No GPS. Success is a concept that means different things to different people.
As soon as you understand this, you can start designing your life based on your definition of success. No matter what success is to you, it will entail hard work.
Success needs to be viewed as a process. More importantly, you have the ability to still make a difference and pursue success no matter what stage of life you are at right now.