I was recently chatting with a long-time client, Beth, about what success meant to her. She told me that her definition of success was quite unlike that of our mutual friend Priscilla. From the outside Priscilla had lots of “achievements” that we could see. For Beth, success looked more like a balance in her life and a feeling of contentment. Sure, she had achieved a great deal to those who looked, but that wasn’t how she measured success.

What does success look like to you? Webster’s defines it as a favorable or desired outcome or the attainment of wealth, favor or eminence. The bottom line is that success relates to goals. You set the goals and you determine whether or not you are successful. Here are some tips to help with your journey toward success:

Develop your own personal, specific definition about success.

If you don’t know what success means to you, how can you work towards it? In creating your definition, consider that you want it to be something within your control, not that of other people. If you ask 10 people what success means, you’ll likely get 10 different answers. You want to be able to measure your success so you can hold yourself accountable on a regular basis. You also want it to mesh with your personal values and principles. Remember, it’s your goal not someone else’s. Take time to listen to your gut about this.

Take action every day toward your goals.

Once you know what the goal is, you only need to take a simple action each day. It’s so easy for some people to get hung up on needing to know the whole path. You don’t have to know all the steps, i.e., how to get to the finish line. You just need to know the next step and take it. The other steps will show themselves when you are ready for them. You have to be ready to step out in faith.

Eliminate excuses.

The coach I work with has a “no excuses” policy. I hear this as I work. I ask myself if I’m making excuses for not getting something done. Do you want the goal or the excuse? You should strive to work in an “excuse-free” environment. This has a positive effect on your day and its outcome.

Look for growth opportunities.

Growth opportunities aren’t just for your business. They are also for you personally. Life-long learning and self-improvement are key. Look for ways you can build your skills, whether that is in knowledge of your specific area or learning how to get out of your own way. Be growth minded as opposed to fixed minded. A great resource on this topic is Mindset by Carol Dweck.

Be open to the opportunities in front of you.

Opportunities exist all around you. Don’t just stick with the status quo. The only caveat here is to think about what you are saying “yes” to. If you say yes to everything, you won’t have space for the really big yes opportunity when it presents itself.

Take personal responsibility for everything.

This is the real key for success and growth. We alone are responsible for creating our own success.

It’s your turn!

How do you define success?

Tags: success

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 5th, 2017 at 9:15 am and is filed under Goals, Success. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.