We often mistake success in life for material wealth, which gives fleeting satisfaction. This article shares things that truly make us feel successful, like doing your passion and becoming the best version of yourself.
Ahhhhhh... that elusive thing called success that everyone is chasing.
We know the word "success", but what is its real meaning?
In today's society, success is usually measured in monetary value - such as one's ability to buy more things and appear successful materially by having 'stuff.' Do you agree that this is how success is generally measured in society? Sounds shallow when you word it out. Now, I am not judging, because guess what, I chased this kind of success in life too for many years.
But one day I got there, I reached that pinnacle of what I thought success was - which at that time for me, was to make lots of money and achieve a lot in business. Still, I felt hollow inside. I thought to myself, "I thought getting here would feel different." This version of success we are conditioned to is backwards and is never going to give us the feeling we want, simply because we've equated the pursuit of success to chasing after a "feeling." We buy stuff and pursue accomplishments to experience a feeling that we think these things are going to give us. Actually, we would feel good, but only temporarily; it will not last because none of these pleasures fulfill your soul's true longing.
We have been conditioned to believe that having these "things" determines our success. The truth is, success is different for every person and no version of success is better than another. It is time to redefine this word to get back to what your true self considers success.
HERE ARE SOME MEASUREMENT STICKS TO CONSIDER WHEN DEFINING YOUR VERSION OF SUCCESS:
1. Do What You Love
Self-satisfaction and fulfillment are yours at the end of the day. Work doesn't seem like work because you are doing what you're passionate about. Ever heard this quote, "Make a living doing what you love and you'll never work a day in your life"?
When you love what you do, it is easy to put your best foot forward, no motivation is required. The basic ingredient is love for the work you want to do. Nothing is more rewarding than seeing the outcome of something that you love to do. Work stops being something you 'have' to do; instead it becomes something you 'get' to do.
2. Serving More People
What if we began to measure success by how many people we are able to serve?
How do you feel when you truly fulfill the needs of another person and provide valuable service to that person?
There is something very fulfilling about it knowing that we are making a difference. Even if we think it's a small thing, it could be the biggest thing to a person, it may even be life changing. Success is touching people's lives and making a difference one life at a time.
3. Becoming A Better Version Of Yourself
This is the true purpose of life when we get down to it. To simply become the best version of ourselves. How does it feel when you grow as a person? When you become more proficient in something? Or when you handle a situation in a more effective way? What if we stopped competing against everyone else and instead just competed with ourselves to be better than the day before and the month before and the year before? How would that kind success feel - looking back at a year passed knowing that you have grown every day and every week even if in small and simple ways?
4. Achieving Your Goals
Congratulations for hitting the target! Regardless of how small or big your goals are, you have accomplished them well. This is a measurement of success. Growth is something everyone wants to achieve, personally and professionally. You have gotten out of the shell, acquired new skills and competencies, and learned new things to improve yourself, and did more and better than the last time. You set constant goals you know you can achieve and kept knocking them out.
How successful do you think you would feel if you were constantly achieving what you set out to do?
5. How Much You Look Forward To Tomorrow
Life couldn't be any better when you are filled with hope of what tomorrow brings - new challenges, opportunities and unlimited possibilities. You always see the brighter side everyday, and if today wasn't good enough, tomorrow is going to be another chance for you to make it better. If you make success about reaching a material goal, it may feel good the moment you achieve it, but then you are left having to constantly strive for the next thing to get that feeling again, and are left always chasing.
Make success about who you are now and who you are becoming, about how you live your life and how you serve, about making personal progress a constant part of your journey, and about cultivating the life where every tomorrow is a gift you are grateful to experience
Todd provides coaching, practical workshops, and keynote talks to help professionals of all ages achieve their own versions of a wealthy lifestyle. By drawing on his vault of knowledge in business, personal growth, wealth psychology and investment strategy, Todd is helping people just like you; generate more wealth to support your highest values in life.
