Defining Your Success

How do you define your success?

Let’s be honest and look a little deeper into your “What, How and Why”.
Do you jump out of bed each morning saying, “Today I will ______________”? How do you fill in the blank?

Your “What”

What is success for you? What does it look like? Is it your job, your family, your business, your health, how much money you earn, the house you live in, the car that you drive or how successful you are as a parent. Everyone answers this question differently because we all beat to a different drummer. Sometimes it’s a matter of the choices we make that can determine how successful we will be. The “What” is of course very individual. Many factors along the way affect how we look at what makes us feel successful or unsuccessful. Do things that have happened in the past hold you back? Of course they can, if you allow them to. Some can move past obstacles that hinder their success, sometimes it is a question of how badly you really want something. Other times it’s a matter of moving through that recording that goes on in our head. Experiences that shape our world will never disappear, we CAN learn to silence the chatter in order to move in the direction we WANT to go.

Think about how many times you have gotten in your own way because you were not sure you would be successful at something. You were more comfortable with where you were therefore didn’t want to rock your boat. The outcome may have moved you in a different direction if you just could have pushed through it and took a chance. I too am guilty as charged! The thing is when we move into an unfamiliar zone we can grow and succeed in other areas we didn’t know we had talent!

Your “How”

There is the self-talk we all have going on in our head as we are trying to move towards achieving a particular success. Our inner voice chatter repeats itself over and over as well as a list of what we need to do today, tomorrow and next week. You know, that list of things to do that doesn’t get completed for one reason or another. In trying to figure out the HOW the inner conversation may be saying…How can I accomplish this goal? How can I possibly fit this into my busy schedule? How will I start?

You begin by mapping out how your day, week or month might go in your mind. It goes something like this…

Today I will accomplish _________. Tomorrow I will start _________. This week I will make that phone call to _________. This month I will I will find someone to help me with ______________. Then there is the physical list we keep on a pad of paper and of course we can’t leave out the list on our computer or smart phone. The lists may vary and in today’s world we are moving so FAST we tend to go back and forth without true direction! By the way, all successful people write their lists down daily and keep it visible. Life is busy and our thoughts of what we need to do to work towards our goals can be very different from what we actually end up doing. If the lists vary will have a very difficult time completing each task. The lists will play tug of war with one another. I suggest to have no more than two lists, make sure that are identical. Your list written on a note pad and one stored in your smart phone. If you have other methods for keeping your to-do lists, do what works best for you.

Does this sound like you? Do you have chatter going on that prevents you from succeeding with HOW you will make things happen? The truth is some just go with the flow, whatever is comfortable and doesn’t intrude in their space. This can keep them stuck there for long periods. Until…we are confronted with the fact that we aren’t going in the direction we really want. Your emotional side says “I’m fine right where I am”, our intellect says “What are you waiting for, go for it!” How are our life successes ever going to happen if you keep getting in your own way? How do you arrive at your success destination? Here are some tidbits to push through those road blocks.

How do you zero in on what success is for you?

• Define what you truly want. Do some sole searching, journaling or take a walk to clear your mind to narrow down where you want to be say six months from now to start this process.
• Write down your wish list for what you view as successful goals. Include both professional and personal areas of your life. Because one affects the other.
• What do you have to change, to achieve that success?
• Write down what the end result be when you succeed.
• Create a routine in order to keep your focus.
• Delegate those things that distract you from your focus.
• Having someone that supports you emotionally is helpful. The one person you can talk to when you need a sounding board.

What is your “Why”?

Why is it important for YOU personally to succeed? We all have something that gives us that inner spark, that reason why we do what we do and opens new doors for us or makes us happy. The “Why” is what gives us the energy to move through all those thoughts that get in our way! It’s important for each and every one of us to find that WHY.

Reach for the stars and define your success now. Celebrate each success no matter how small you think it is. You deserve to live life happy!

How will you define your success? What is your what, how and why? Please feel free to comment below.