Identify what success means to you

So, in the light of what was said in the previous post, the Successity Blog believes it’s important that from the outset you identify what success means to you. If you don’t do that, then you won’t be able to set your goals. And when you’re doing it, make sure that you look for hidden meanings in your objectives. For instance, superficially you might want to go on an exotic holiday each year, but if you dig down deeper, perhaps all you are saying is that you want to spend more meaningful “love time” with your family.

Buy a notebook and do some doodling. Write “What Success Means to Me” on Page One and do some brainstorming. You might be surprised at what comes out. Challenge yourself and be honest. And always keep in mind that surprising definition in the previous post: it’s amazingly flexible, and can include, materialistic, honorific, recognitional, spiritual and psychological successes.

If success to you is just to be “happy” you need to dig down deeper to determine exactly what will bring you happiness. And you might have to make trade-offs and compromises. If you want a six-figure salary but want to work part-time to spend more time with your kids, it’s possible those are inconsistent objectives (but maybe they’re not if you think creatively and outside the box).

So be practical and realistic, yes, but don’t lose sight of your dream. What you have to do is skim away the superficialities and figure out what the foundations of your dream really are.