How do You Define Your Success?

April 19, 2009 by Sandrine
Filed under Success Tracks

You began your journey with a lot of hope and enthusiasm, just to discover that the road was lonely, bumpy, dark, cold and even dangerous. You are now wondering whether you are moving in the right direction and you feel the weight of the question on your shoulders.

How do you define success? How do you know you will make it? How do you know you are not mistaking stubbornness for persistence? And all those people around you claiming they have made it, it seems so easy when you are at the top. Many people go around every day wondering about these same questions.

Although there are many wrong answers, there is not a right answer. Success is a very personal subject and every one must find the definition that best meets his or her own aspirations.

For me, I have found great encouragement in Earl Nightingale’s definition of success; “a progressive realization of a worthy ideal.” These simple words give me more strength than a full library of self help books.

Why is there so much strength in these words? I believe it is because it defines Success as the journey towards what you really want. Success is no longer a point in time, a situation, a certain amount of money, or a certain lifestyle.

Success, in this case, is being true to oneself every single day. As long as you can say that you are moving in the direction of what you truly desire, you are successful.

The question then is no longer why aren’t you achieving what they are achieving. The question is whether you are moving in the direction you want, and whether what you want is worth everything you are going through.

As I reflected on that definition of success, during hard times, I knew that I would not give up my goals no matter what obstacle I encountered. Whatever the obstacle, I knew that I could face it. To have the opportunity to achieve was worth whatever price I could pay. That’s why I know I am successful.

So you too can be successful, as long as you keep moving in the direction of your dreams. The road might be bumpy, cold, dark and lonely but as long as you do not give up your dreams, and keep doing everything you can to achieve them, then you too are very successful.