How do you define “Success” and how do you know when you have “Succeeded”? Recently I was asked to answer both of these questions. I had to think about it for sometime before I could respond. I felt like I had been successful, but the question made stop and think about what it really meant.
Success! It is something we all want. But what is it really? It should be different for each individual. However, more often than not, we are striving for someone else’s definition of success not our own. Maybe it is society’s view of success, our friends or our parent’s. Or, maybe it is a combination of all those things. In order to be seen as being successful we focus on what is accepted as success and work towards that. For many, success is only measured by wealth and fame, but it is so much more. Success is about who you are on the inside.
Success is a very subjective term, and it does not mean the same thing to two different people. Not knowing how one defines success in life can make the process of becoming successful even more challenging.
For me personally, success has been a journey with peaks and valleys, setbacks and mistakes, achievement and failures. One thing I’ve noticed is the meaning of success can change along the way. This has certainly been true for me. Success is the ability to do what I love everyday. It is making a difference to people and it is a feeling of satisfaction and self-worth.
As a small business owner, are you working to make as much money as possible, or to make as big an impact as possible?
A new study from The Hartford set out to discover what constitutes success in the eyes of small business owners. Here’s what the Small Business Success Study of 2,000 small business owners found. 82 percent say they place great importance on doing something they feel passionate about and enjoy. Although 77 percent acknowledge that increasing profitability of the business year over year is very important, only 18 percent say this is the most important factor in defining success.
Ralph Waldo Emerson defined success likes this:
“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children . . .to leave the world a better place . . . to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”
So what is your definition of “Success” and will you know when you have “Succeeded”?
Post by Jeanie Douthitt
Not having the best of everything but making the best of what you have.
Appreciating the here and now while striving toward goals.
Not just looking at but really seeing and appreciating the beauty in the World,
yourself and others.
To be there for others and allow them to be there for you.
To live life athentically and with compassion.
Loving and being loved.
To experience these things in your life is my definition of success.
Tele Raack, LMT
eWmn Member Reno, NV