How Do You Define Success?

Success. It's something we all want and strive for. But what does it really mean?

Well, I believe that each person has to define what success means for him or herself. For some, success means the latest car, a home with thousands of square feet and being wealthy. For others, success is having a fulfilling career, regardless of salary, and having a family. Neither is better, per se, but however you choose to define it, make sure it's your definition of success and not someone else's. Because if you don't define it for yourself, you will, more than likely, end up miserable and unfulfilled because you're doing what you think other people will approve of, or you're doing something others have told you that you should be doing.

My current definition of success is being able to do what I love as a living (motivating and inspiring through writing) while making a comfortable living, having a family and fabulous friends and being able to give back.

If you're not sure what success means to you, you should first ask yourself a few questions: What makes me happy? How do I feel about my life as it is right now? What do I really want? Why do I want what I want? If success to you is making seven figures per year, ask yourself why that is. It might be because you want to be able to take an exotic vacation once or twice per year, be able to give to charities or so your children won't have to worry about anything. Asking yourself these questions (especially the last one) can assist you in getting on the right path to achieve that goal.

Next, visualize what being accomplished looks like for you. Close your eyes, and imagine yourself in the future. I think it helps to picture each aspect of your life one at a time. What kind of career do you see yourself having? What type of home do you have? Do you have children and a husband? Go through each aspect of your life (career, family, relationships, etc.), and "see" how you want things to be. After doing this, write it down....