Success isn’t something you can frame on the wall. It’s not something that you can attain once and then discard as having accomplished it. It’s not a level of achievement or an objective. It’s not a social status or the amount of money in the bank. It’s not how many languages I can speak or how many businesses I have founded.
For me, success means two things occurring simultaneously in the present moment:
- Doing everything that’s possible to work towards my goals
- Being happy
If we’re happy in the present moment, we are successful.
If we’re doing everything that’s possible in the present moment to move towards our goals, we are successful.
The goal I’m working towards in the present moment might be as simple as “getting ready for the day” or “making breakfast”. It might be “finishing a blog post” or even “pumping gas so I can get to work”.
Whatever my goal is in the present moment, if I’m accomplishing everything necessary to reach that goal and my mind is happy and at peace, then I feel successful.
To be successful we need to break free from the idea that success is a mountain that must be ascended. We must realize that success is what we make it. If we choose to make success unattainable, then it will be unattainable. If we choose to realize that nothing can stop us from reaching our goals, no matter how far-fetched, then we have already succeeded.
Success is being able to manage our mind under all circumstances.
The day that I considered myself to be successful was the day I decided that nothing was going to stop me from achieving the craziest of my goals. – Earl Baron
But what if you don’t have any goals? In that case your goal should be to free yourself of anything that might be preventing you from discovering your purpose — from discovering the life you want to live.
If you’re content just living, just being, that’s a goal too. Striving for freedom from pain and ignorance is an excellent way to live.
Success is the complete eradication of ego, because ego is the only thing that stands in the way of my absolute freedom from pain and ignorance. – Jai Dev
Success is a frame of mind and a way of thinking. It’s not a destination or an objective.
Success is knowing what’s possible, not just believing in it.
Success is purposeful action in motion.
What does success mean to you? What does it mean to be successful?
This post is part of a unique project organized by my buddy Jonny from TheLifeThing.com to put together a free ebook about success. Jonny asked 30 bloggers, including myself, for their personal definitions of success and how they achieve it. He then requested that we write a blog post about success to announce the free book and create a flood of inspiration around the topic. This book is totally free and full of inspirational perspectives on success. Download The SUCCESS eBook.
