Definition of Success

It is said that in order to achieve success you must first define what success means.

Considering the fact that we are all individuals with our own unique thoughts, emotions and talents, I think we have to do more than that. We must define what success means to each one of us, what it means to you as an individual. Otherwise you are simply succeeding by someone else’s standards.

Living by someone else’s definition of success in life can be destructive. Because how can we possibly live up to our full potential as long as we keep adjusting our lives to the standards of others?

It may seem obvious and I am sure you agree with me. But just stop for a second and think about it – I mean; really think about it: Are you defining success in your life or are you allowing someone else to define it for you?

Don’t get me wrong, It’s not about being all self-centered. Of course we need to interact with other people, listen to their opinions and sometimes adjust our own. That is a strength. But in the end, you are the only person who can take responsibility for your own life. And you will be at your best when you are being true to yourself, also when it comes to making a difference in the lives of others.

In my life I am not successful if I am not achieving my own definition of success, no matter how impressed “the world” may be about what I do. If it’s not what I need to do, if it’s not what’s right for me, then I am living by someone else’s definition, and not being true to myself. And if so, have I really succeeded? The answer is a definite no, I haven’t.

I have this image in my mind; many years from now, when (hopefully) I celebrate my 90th birthday, I will have a collection of photos in my room. Photos from the life I have been living. And those photos should not be showing what others wanted me to be, they should be reflecting the kind of life, the choices that were the right ones for me.

Success is living the life that is right for you, being true to yourself as an individual. Only then can you become that special person you were meant to be.

Ask not what the world needs. Ask what make you come alive… then go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.

Howard Thurman