What does success look like for you? 

Is it the corner office?  A strong body?  The job title?  A balanced mind? A family?

The partner?  How many lives you’ve impacted?  The pay check?  How many people you’ve helped? 

The house?  A robust meditation practice?  The car?  The awards?  The bank account balance?

How many connections on LinkedIn? Just showing up to work?

A major turning point in my life was a question posed in a Leadership Mindset Challenge I was a part of back in 2015 asking  participants to reflect on what their personal definition of “Success” looked like for them.

“What if XXXXXX was ‘Success’?”

Have you ever had the experience of a simple question hitting you at the right place, at the right time? The simplicity knocks you into a deeply profound sense of reflection and wonder. And, there I was.

At that point, it had never even crossed my mind I could define my OWN version of success. My mind was blown at the simple revelation I was even ALLOWED to be in control of defining success for myself. How could I have lived for so long, striving for “success” markers that weren’t even mine? The job, the resume, the salary, the awards, the car, the house, the partner, the vacations, etc, etc, etc. Those weren’t my personal ideas or factors of success. I had picked them up along the way from other people in my life.

But, what DID I want to use as a benchmark of success?

So, if you are like me and haven’t experienced this revelation yet, I am paying this wisdom forward. What if you DID personalize your definition of success? What would “success” look like for you?

To start, let’s consider how you currently define “success”:

• What are you currently working towards achieving?
• How will it feel and what will you do once you achieve it?
• What physical, mental, emotional benefits will you receive from achieving it?
• On a scale of 1- 10 (low to high), give 3 scores on how a) satisfying it will feel physically; b) how satisfying it will be mentally; c) how satisfying it will feel emotionally to achieve this
• What will you do after you achieve it?
• Do these answers inspire you? Why or why not?

Now, take a moment of further reflection and consider…

Is this your deepest, most physically, mentally, and emotionally satisfying definition of success?

If yes, Great! How does this clarity feel?

If no, what would be deeply satisfying? What could you add to your definition of success to make it even more satisfying?

How could you start re-aligning your priorities to work towards achieving THAT definition of success for yourself?

There is no one definition of success. You get to define what success looks like for you. 

It’s personalized.

For some, it’s getting out of bed in the morning and choosing happiness all day. For others, it may be having a positive balance in the bank account. It’s perfect for each of them.

For Me? Well, I decided it was the amount of love in my life that was my benchmark of success. And based on this new, personalized definition of success, I’m now currently the most successful person I know. 

And you? What will your personal definition of success be?

My wish is you be the most successful person YOU know. 

It’s time to get personal with your success.