What’s Your Definition of Success?

In our hyper-consumerist society, success is usually defined by what you have or what you do. From a young age we are taught that success in life is based on which grades you get, which school and university you attend, which company you end up working in and how much you earn. I’m not saying that these things are unimportant, but it can be rather depressing when you have got your straight A’s, your degree from a red-brick university, your £30K a year starting salary and a job at one of the country’s top firms only to find that you don’t feel like much of a success at all.

Very subtly, our education and work system teaches that we must impress and gain approval from our parents, our teachers, our professors, and even our peers, if we are to get on in life… But rarely are we encouraged to consider look inside ourselves and ask how we feel about the things we do.

The concept of inner success is one that is totally missing from our society, yet external achievements are irrelevant if not matched by an internal feeling of accomplishment, a sense of contentment and generally feeling good about oneself and one’s achievements. I’m sure we can all cite at least one case of someone who seemingly has it all yet is still unhappy and I’m sure there are people reading this who are extremely successful from an outsider’s perspective but are still searching for more because they don’t feel satisfied.

I’ve come to realise that success is not only ’out there’. Success is who you are and how you feel. Success is not just in the destination or in the final result but in the process of getting there. Success is in the learning, in the overcoming of obstacles, in your growth and development as a person. Success is about knowing who you are and feeling good about being that person. I truly believe that when you feel this inside, you will also have as much external success as you could ever want.

My experiences have forced me to challenge my own notions of success and I now make life decisions from the inside-out, in the knowledge that feelings and emotions about a situation count for more than just the situation itself. As a result I am happier, more focussed and find it much easier to make the right choices for me.

I encourage you today to think about your definition of success. Maybe your definition of success is leading you to the right places, and you feel good about where, and who, you are. I hope so. Maybe, however, your definition of success is leading you elsewhere and you have found yourself at the top of a ladder which has been leaning against the wrong wall.

I leave you with this quote by Albert Schweitzer: “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”