Read This If You’re Not Sure What ‘Success’ Means To You

Two years ago, I was so sure of what success meant to me. I mean, normal things like a high paying job, a house, and traveling to exotic places. My life was focused on the pursuit of one goal after another. There was a sense of satisfaction in surpassing my limits—until the pandemic happened and I got a feeling of what matters.

But I didn’t exactly know how that would matter. Would having peace of mind and the flexibility and freedom to chart your path make me successful? Why and when did my version of success change? Is that the right version of success?

There is a “societal-defined success” and it may not be your definition of success. Unlearning these beliefs and figuring out real success takes time, effort, and rest. I was baffled that the life I had figured out for myself was the one that I no longer wanted to live.

I decided to embark on the new scary journey of defining my success and failures. It is a lonely walk where you don’t know where you’re going but you’re pretty sure that’s the road you have to take. I took the following actions to get more clarity on success:

1. Redefine “success” (because that definition matters)

I understood that my take on what success and failure meant to me was so wrong that I couldn’t even realize I was doing it the wrong way. I had the ability to belittle my accomplishments and stretch my agony which I spent my time on while achieving that accomplishment.

Well, I was, in essence, limiting myself. 

Next, understand what success really means to you. And what is your vision? What do you want to do in the next 5-10 years? The answer is unique for everyone, as it should be. Some people’s joy may not be something you remotely like. And that’s fine. As people, we like to be liked by the society we live in. But their likes may not be your likes. The mere things that give you joy may not be so pleasing to the person beside you. And being okay with this was supposedly the hardest thing for me. In essence, I redefined the success metrics for myself.

2. Read the journey of successful leaders

History has a lot of leaders who have endured in the face of adversity and have never given up. What made them so different? How did they do it? What worked for them? This will help you gain valuable knowledge and make your journey less lonely. However, applying those insights and seeing if that works for you is of utmost importance.

3. Change your mindset

Time and again, many people have constantly focused on the word “mindset”. And that is because it matters the most. Whether you think you can do it or not depends on you. Understanding your own set of beliefs—the good ones (being a catalyst to progress) and the not-so-good ones (resisting change and self-sabotaging ones)—is the key.

4. Be electronically unavailable

To achieve anything in life, you need to focus on the task at hand. Have at least an hour to yourself in the morning or before you go to sleep to reflect. Make sure that you are off the phone or any electronic device during this time. Mediate, journal, or visualize during this time to achieve a better version of yourself.

5. Be open to change

Even if everything was meticulously planned, there would be times when things didn’t go as planned. It’s alright—you’re getting exactly where you’re meant to be.