How do you define success?
Success is personal to each of us
Ask 10 different people how they define success, and you’re likely to get 10 different definitions. Maybe it’s how happy you are in your personal relationships. Or the happiness and health of your family. Maybe it’s your income bracket. Or your position in the company. Maybe it’s finally checking the last thing off your to-do list. Or how many countries you’ve visited. Or how many volunteer hours you put in at your favorite charity.
Success can be determined by external factors, and it can also be determined by internal pressures. It can be tangible, and it can be abstract. Success likely changes as we grow and evolve as we get to know ourselves better. Simply put though, there is no one way to define success.
How I see success and can help you find it as well
Ten years ago, my marker for success was just keeping my head above water when it came to parenting. It was tough! A decade later, my success marker has evolved because I have evolved. Now, I’m more focused on how I can live well over the next 25-30 years.
Coaching can help you break down your feelings on success, internal and external factors defining success and what tools will help you reach your greatest successes. As a coach, I see clients who come with a preconceived notion of what success looks like, but once you start to understand yourself better, those successes begin to change.
How others define success:
Courtney, Grace Built Co.
My definition of professional success has evolved greatly over the past 6 years of self-employment. At the beginning, I was very focused on metrics and numbers. Increasing my revenue, growing my follower count, landing another client. Each of these were concrete goals that made me feel like I was succeeding (or failing…)
Now, 6 years in, my focus has shifted and I feel most successful when I have free time in the work week, don’t have to work on the weekends, and don’t wake up feeling overwhelmed by my to-do list. My definition of success is more about how I feel in the business, rather than the visible metrics.
Pippi, Grace Built Co.
Probably my most notable success marker – both personally and professionally – is my daughter.
Am I providing everything she needs physically? Roof over her head, food on the table, clothes on her back. Am I providing everything she needs emotionally? She’s making good decisions, she knows I’m here to listen no matter what, she’s a happy person. Am I providing a good example?
She knows what it means to work hard for what you want, she is responsible and kind, she has motivation to find her own successes. If she’s successful, I’m successful.
Renee, Tamarack Creative
Success to me is driven by three major factors:
1. Your relationship with yourself. Is doing what you’re doing making you happy? Is your cup overflowing?
2. Your ability to give selflessly to others. Theoretically, if you’re successful, it’s your responsibility and social obligation to help others toward success, too.
3. You have the ability to live a comfortable life, while paying your bills, and indulging every once in a while on things that bring you joy (monetary or non-monetary.)
How do you define success?
As we’ve discussed, success can be defined in many different ways by different people. Even our own definition changes over time. How has your success changed over the last 10, 25, 50 years? How do you want it to change in the next 10, 25, 50 years?
Let’s talk about a time you felt true success, whether that was over a stretch of time or a single event.
- What was happening that made you feel successful?
- Get out of your head, and describe what you were feeling in your body.
- Was it successful because of external pressures or because of your own definition of success?
- How did you know it was a success?
Start with a definition, end with success
Just like we’ve talked about success looking different for everyone, so is our road to achieving it. You are not alone in your quest for what success even looks like. That’s where coaching can help.
Flourishing relationships? Continued learning? Time for family and relaxation? Climbing the corporate ladder? Contributing more time to charities?
Aiyana Coaching can help you find the success markers that best suit you and the tools to reach them. Let’s get started!