How To Define Success In Life?

How do you define success? Is it about wealth? Is it about power? Is it about happiness? Success means something different to each person, like beauty, it exists in the eye of the beholder. It depends on every one of us to determine what success means to us and do something to bring it forth into our lives.

“Success” is something that is difficult to define, but it is something we all strive for. You could say that success is the achievement of the desired goal, such as obtaining a name and fame or wealth or a higher degree, for which a person has tried his level best.

The late Zig Ziglar, one of the most respected experts on success and motivation argues in his book Born to Win, that: “Success cannot be defined in one sentence, but instead it is comprised of many things. One could argue that the definition depends on the individual and one size does not fit all”.

What is Success And How Is It Defined

Success can be defined as the achievement of a goal, with individual goals being highly personal and based on unique experiences, values, and resources. There are no wrong answers when it comes to setting personal goals, as these are influenced by one’s perspective and priorities. Different people measure success in their own ways, often focusing on intrinsic rewards rather than external pressures. Personal interest often serves as a strong motivator in achieving objectives, and having a sense of purpose can enhance critical thinking and decision-making skills.

Success is not a destination. It is a journey, and one should not focus all of their energy on getting there. It is something that you might achieve in the course of your life, and you may want to define different things at different points in your life. Success can mean different things to different people.

Success is not just a feeling.

The key to achieving success is building a successful mindset. Success is not just a feeling. It is something that is achieved after years of dedication and hard work. It is important to stay positive and focused on your goals. The number of days you spend in the gym, the amount of time you spend meditating, the amount of time you spend learning new skills, and the amount of time you spend doing the activities that will help you achieve success. Success is not just a feeling – it is a process that needs to be implemented to achieve.

Success is not a one-time achievement

If you are trying to find your way to success in your life, it is not something that is built overnight. Success is something that is achieved after years of dedication and hard work. It takes a lot of time to find success, and it takes a lot of time to maintain it. To maintain your success, you will need to dedicate yourself to your goal. If you are consistent in your actions, you will be able to maintain your success.

Successful people share attributes that don’t happen by accident or luck. They originate in habits, built each day at a time. We must remember that if we live our lives the same way as most people do, we will get what most people get. If we settle, what we are going to get is a settled life. But if we give ourselves our best, every day, our best will give back to us.

Here are the traits that highly successful people cultivate:

Take responsibility for Your Life:

You are totally responsible for your life. This is the foundation principle you must embrace if you intend for happiness and success in life and work. You have to stop blaming others for your failures and take responsibility for your mistakes. No one can live your life for you. You are in charge. No matter how hard you try to blame others for the events of your life, each event is the result of the choices you made and are making.

“The moment you accept responsibility for everything in your life is the moment you gain the power to change anything in your life.” ~ Hal Elrod

Live Your Life On Purpose:

What separates motivational and successful people from others is that they believe they’re doing what they were put here to do. Not living life on purpose consists of expending just enough effort to get by with the least amount of problems. But when you live life on purpose, you are aiming to be the best you can be. Being successful means finding a cause you believe in, building your business around it, and contributing something to society.

“If there is no passion in your life, then have you really lived? Find your passion, whatever it may be. Become it, and let it become you and you will find great things happen FOR you, TO you and BECAUSE of you.” ~ T Alan Armstrong

Be Willing to Pay the Price for Your Success:

Often times we get comfortable in the situation that we are in. Getting comfortable doesn’t mean that we like the situation that we are in, but it means that we get into a comfort zone. Our comfort zone is a place where we are used to the routine or familiarity of a situation, yet we don’t feel capable or want to do anything to make the necessary changes to get out of that situation. There is always a price to pay for our achievements but in the long run, we will reap the reward of peace, happiness, and fulfillment.

“There is a cost for everything that you want. Clothes, furniture, a successful career, relationships. You or someone else has to pay for what you want. Even the things that you get for free. Someone put time, money, their heart, and effort into whatever you received”.

Stay Focused:

We live in an age in which our focus is on short-term gains and instant gratification. We want immediate results, even in areas that naturally take time. If we do not get success rapidly we move on to the next fad. In the long run, most of us achieve little if anything at all.

How do we avoid falling into the trap of short-termism and achieve the success we are longing for? The answer is to stay focused on our long-term goals and invest our energy and resources to achieve them, even when we see so many others going for the quick fix. Focusing requires giving up something in the present because we are investing our time in something that will pay off big-time down the road. Successful people maintain a positive focus in life no matter what is going on around them.

“You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks.” ~ Winston Churchill

Become an Expert in Your Field:

One distinctive factor that all successful people have in common is their desire to be seen as an expert in their profession. Whether they’re administrative professionals, a CEO, or a NASA engineer, expertise is something to strive for. So regardless of who you are or what you do, make the decision today to work at being the best in your field. How? By surrounding yourself with people who elevate you. By spending time with people who are experts in your field, you will naturally “catch” some of their wisdom, as expertise is contagious.

Never Give Up:

When you face an unexpected obstacle in life how do you respond? Do you give up, or do you keep pressing on? Successful people don’t give up. They commit themselves to reaching their final destination. They may never get there, but they don’t allow hurdles to prevent them from trying. This means continuing on despite failures and disappointments. When you’re fully committed to achieving your goal, giving up is not an option. You must be willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen.

Create an Effective Action Plan:

Many of us set goals, but not many create massive action plans to bring those goals to fruition. A powerful action plan takes you from wherever you are right now directly to the accomplishment of your stated goal. With a well-designed plan, you can achieve virtually any goal you set out to accomplish. A goal that isn’t written down is merely a wish or fantasy and is likely to stay that way.

“Never give up on a dream simply because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.” ~ Earl Nightingale.

Don’t Delay:

Nobody knows how much time they have left to accomplish their dreams, and we must remember that we don’t have forever. Life is short. There is no degree for “Live your dreams.” You qualify yourself by showing up and working. You get permission by deciding. Successful achievers know this too, and they go after what they want as energetically and as passionately as possible, for as long as they have. “Don’t wait for tomorrow for something you could do today. Your future self will either thank you or shamefully defend you”.

“You pile up enough tomorrows, and you’ll find you are left with nothing but a lot of empty yesterdays.” ~ Harold Hill.

How to measure professional success?

Professional success can be measured by assessing how individuals contribute to company profitability. Even if not directly impacting revenue, every member of an organization can add to profitability. Accessing company profit metrics and showcasing how one’s team or department contributed to the company’s bottom line can demonstrate a successful career.

Career success is reflected through consistent promotions, increased responsibilities, title changes, and salary growth. Tracking one’s career trajectory and identifying common patterns that led to advancements can indicate a successful career path and set the stage for future progress.

Conclusion

Success can be defined in many ways. I believe we accomplish success when at the end of the day we can say…this was a good day and look forward to doing it again tomorrow.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the definition of success. Many people indeed have a difficult time defining success for themselves. I can’t tell you what success will look like for you because it’s different for everyone. But one thing I can say is that success is something that is achieved after years of dedication and hard work.