If you ask 100 people to define success, you will get 100 different answers. Everyone has their own definition of success, and everyone measures it differently.
Defining Success
If you look up the actual definition of success, many sites will say that it is the accomplishment of an aim or a purpose. Others will say it is wealth, respect, or fame. Whatever you say it is, the definition of success is not a one-size-fits-all.
My definition of success is the pursuit of happiness through the successful manifestation of personal goals. These goals can be anything, ranging from living a simple life and being blissfully happy, to reaching fame, fortune and all the riches one could possibly desire, plus everything in between. Success is a personal achievement, and it is different for each one of us.
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One of my most favorite quotes about how to reach success is the following, “The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which you first find yourself.” – Mark Caine.
Success can be many things in life. It can be a self-realization, achieving goals, overcoming barriers and obstacles and perseverance. Love, adventure, and happiness can also be aspects of personal success.
Evolving Definition
For me, the definition of success has transitioned itself throughout the years. In my younger years, it meant wealth and fame. As I am getting older, have become a mother, have lived the life of a working woman and a stay-at-home mom, the definition has evolved.
For me, success is a pathway to happiness, and I take the necessary route to get to it. Success is loving on my children and slowing down within those precious moments in time I will never get back. It is the ability to put a roof over my family’s head, a hot meal in front of them and keeping them happy and healthy. It is the achievement of giving my children the upbringing and future that I wish I had myself.
If you would have asked me to define success twenty years ago, that would not have been my answer. My answer then would have been the ability to achieve freedom, personal independence, scholastic achievement and financial wealth. Those are wonderful aspects of success too. However, sometimes as we change, so does that definition. It is okay to have an evolving definition of success, we are not all meant to stay the same. We can mold and go from a caterpillar to a butterfly and our definition of it can change with us too.
Bottom Line
The reality is that the definition of success is different for all of us, but at the root lies both a level of achievement and happiness. It is the act of overcoming, to begin at Point A and end at your target of Point B. It is living out your dreams, and being proud of yourself. It is becoming a better you, and achieving inner peace, content, satisfaction and happiness. May you find your own success, whatever that may be.
