If you are going to achieve the goals and dreams you desire, it is very important for you to be clear about exactly what you want and what success means to you.
Success looks and feel different for everyone. It is not just about fame and fortune. Success is about living a life decided. A life decided is one in which you are lucid in your purpose, what fulfills you, and what is going to get you to where you want to go.
What does success mean to you? Read our Weekly Winning Article to help you gain some clarity.
“6 Questions to Help You Become More Lucid in What Success Means to You”
What makes me smile?
The first thing that pops in your mind may be lots of things make me smile. However, take it a little deeper than an everyday smile you may extend to a stranger. What makes your heart smile? You know that deep feeling of warmth you get when you see or hear something that makes you smile deep within your soul. Think about a time when someone may have shared something with you, paid you a compliment, or you witnessed a special moment, and you just smiled so intensely that you could feel it in every part of your body. Now, ask yourself again, “What makes me smile?” Being aware of what makes your heart smile will help you know what success means to you.
What makes me feel good about myself?
What are things that make you feel proud of yourself and good about what you are doing? When your actions align with what you know you should do, it improves your confidence and genuinely makes you feel good about yourself. It could be the extra time you take to make sure everyone is taken care of on your team or within your organization. It could be the details of a project that you go the extra mile for to make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible. It could be spending time investing in yourself to grow and develop or exercising to better your health. What are the things you do or the things that happen in your life that make you feel proud? Knowing what makes you feel good about yourself is a big clue as to what success means to you.
What makes me feel helpful?
When you are being helpful, you are making a difference. It could be when you’re coaching or mentoring someone or leading a movement. Maybe you feel helpful when you are volunteering for a meaningful organization or providing resources to someone in need. Having more time in your day to be helpful at home with chores or errands could be important to you. Each of us have a deep desire to serve a purpose and to contribute within our sphere of influence. Determining what it is that makes you feel helpful will help you decide what success means to you.
What brings me joy?
Joy isn’t about simply being happy. Happiness is a fleeting moment that comes and goes. Like eating an ice-cream can make you happy or buying a new item could make you happy. When you forget about the ice cream or the newness wears off something, the feeling of happiness goes with it. Joy is a state of mind that stays with you even when you’re not doing anything or when life isn’t going your way. Joy generally follows a peace of mind. When you are at peace with yourself, when you are grateful for all you have, when you trust the best is yet to come, when you know you are doing the best you can, and when you have a feeling of overall well-being, you will have joy. What are the things that help you live in harmony? Living with a joyful spirit is a big part of a successful life.
What energizes me?
What motivates you and makes you want to act? You can have the best intentions to do great things, but without the deep desire to do the work and take action, you won’t achieve success. There are people and things that zap our energy and feel like work. On the other hand, there are people and things that fill us up and make the work feel like fun. Being successful can be grueling and it is hard work, but when you are energized and fired up about your goals and dreams, you will make it happen. Who and what give you energy? The answer to this will help you understand what success means to you.
What do I applaud?
We all have people in our lives we admire. Who are the people in your life that you admire the most? What is it about them that you look up to? What do they have going on that you wish you had more of? Who are the people that are successfully accomplishing things that are like what you want to accomplish? This isn’t about trying to be like someone else or comparing your life to another. This is all about understanding the things that you admire the most. When you are aware of what you applaud the loudest, you can get a clear picture of what success means to you.
When it comes to success there is no right or wrong answer. It is different for everyone depending on what fills you up and what makes sense for the life you desire to live. The most important thing is that you clearly express and you understand exactly what a successful life looks like to you.
Article Written By:
Kim Martin, Founder of I’ve Decided, INC.
“We have one mission – Your success!”
