What Does Success Mean To You?

by Gary Smith

Posted: 12 years ago 41 replies

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

I was asked this question at a local small business meeting one evening a couple of months ago. At the time I had been studying personal development (mainly material from Jim Rohn, Darren Hardy and Chris Widener) for several years - but I didn't have a simple answer.

It really bugged me. I thought that I, of all people, having studied and learned so much over the past few years, should have a very clear and concise definition of what success means to ME.

I pondered this question for several days and came up with what I thought was nearest to what success meant to to me. I'm quite proud of what I ended up with and I think it is a testament to what I have learned. The answer is a million miles from where my mind was five years ago.

I'd like to share my answer and hope that it encourages others to consider what success really means to them.

Success to me is about being comfortable and grateful:

Comfortable with my lifestyle and grateful for what I have
Comfortable with my family and grateful for who they are
Comfortable with my business and grateful for my good fortune
Comfortable with my associates and grateful for their help and advice
Comfortable with myself and grateful for who I have become

I certainly haven't mastered all of those yet, but I think they are five very worthy goals.

#gratitude #lifestyle #success

melltonroper 12 years ago

time freedom+financial freedom = success
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- Michael Fied 12 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by melltonroper
  
  time freedom+financial freedom = success
  
  melltonroper is 100% correct, could not say it any better. =]
  
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Alex and Elijah 12 years ago

I second Meltonroper. Financial freedom and time freedom would be my definition of success also.
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razorico 12 years ago

Success for me is just completing the goals in a certain period of time, I enjoy even the smallest successes, and this helps me to beat the larger goals.
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Samrath Gupta 12 years ago

You need to see what you and your life would look like when you are successful.
Success has different meanings for each of us. For one person it could be a a general sense of happiness. Another might think of success as meaning making a lot of money and accumulating wealth. A third person might just see it as find a special lover or soulmate.

So the definition of success turns out to be more illusive that we might first imagine it to me..

But when achieve success, you will know it. It is a feeling deep inside you. You will that you are in harmony with the world.

People look at you different. They see you as successful. Your confidence and self esteem soar. You have arrived! That is what success really means.
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skyjoe76 12 years ago

Success to me is the freedom to choose.

To me nothing is worse than the inability to choose. Lacking the freedom feels like an imprisonment to me.
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felborfm88 12 years ago

Im with meltonroper also.
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Jeremy Miner 12 years ago

I define success through financial fulfillment, more time with with self and family and the chance to help others who are in need.
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- maile15 12 years ago
  
  Success is for me,
  
  doing everyday what I love, in the best way I can imagine it! You can beeing successful with things that you hate, but it is not the same. If you love that what you do, you are really successfull! Because this means you will have a happy life!
  
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dee4d 12 years ago

Great thread here, but the question is, what happens when you gain financial independence and still feel a void inside you? You won't consider yourself successful, or will you?
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Chris Prescott 12 years ago

Success is the ability to do what you want, when you want
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Mildred Williams 12 years ago

Success is total financial freedom that brings the life style that you always wanted.
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ernestrategos 12 years ago

For me:

Living in the moment, complete attention with what I'm doing, no matter what it is.
When I am in the present moment, I find hapiness every time, it's always there, I just forget most of the time.
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bonnerkareem69 12 years ago

According to me, Success means that when you fulfill your demand and when you satisfy.
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Tommy Smith 12 years ago

The great secret of success is self-discipline - getting yourself to do what
you really need to do - choosing to do what you feel is right and will bring the
results you want into your life - long term. It is bringing order and efficiency
into your life-. . . creating structure in your life and doing this enthusiastically!
Success comes from taking charge of yourself and feeling proud of yourself
when you do. The following success quotes will help expand your idea of success.
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gorvene 12 years ago

This is a wonderful thread because we get to see so many ways in which we all define success. Success for me is personal fulfillment and having the time to be there for others. Thanks to everyone for sharing their insight.
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- danstelter 12 years ago
  
  Success is definitely defined by each person for himself. For me, it's all about having time freedom and financial freedom, and using everything beyond what provides for my needs to the benefit of others.
  
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elijahjudd 12 years ago

Success for me is a challenge to see what else can I do.
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Jarrod 12 years ago

My personal definition of success is:
Finding your natural talents and passions and utilizing them in such a way that serves others.
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12 years ago

Hi, Gary:

I just posted this in another WF thread focused on motivational quotes:

"Success is waking up in the morning and bounding out of bed because there's something out there that you love to do, that you believe in, that you're good at - something that's bigger than you are, and you can hardly wait to get at it again." – Whit Hobbs

It expresses my perspective exactly.

GT

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Kaysa 12 years ago

Success to me means...

Being in my purest and my strongest form to express me at my best in this world.

Very poetically
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jmiezejeski

12 years ago

Success is happiness. Plain and simply, it is not about what you achieve but about how you feel about your life. If you are happy with your life, then you are successful!

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711gemstone

12 years ago

Originally Posted by jmiezejeski

Success is happiness. Plain and simply, it is not about what you achieve but about how you feel about your life. If you are happy with your life, then you are successful!

I agree with you 100%.

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Duy Nguyen 12 years ago

Success = become financially free, live the life, enjoy it, help as many people as I can, grow my kids to become successful people (when I have them)

I'm thinking about more lol!
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Michael Ten 12 years ago

It means sitting on a beach eating lobster and drink mimosas for as long as I care to, and then going and doing something else that has more of an impact when I feel like doing so.
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kheather Banned 12 years ago

[DELETED]

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- ButterflyN 12 years ago
  
  I definitely agree
  
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Kom 12 years ago

For me.
The meaning of success is we did achieve a good result. like what we want !
Success has a very broad sense. Where is a good result. equal success,
Word of success, includes all of the results of whatever we do, success is the final value of everything we did.
Well,,, The value of success could be different. Success depends on how you want.
After we achieve succes than the success it could be increased further.

There is value of success, but success has no limits. That's my opinion!

If I make money 1 cent with online, I can said I had success, because my target is 1 cent,
I can not say I have success if my target is 10 dollars.

Thanks
Kom
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Richard Brands 12 years ago

Success is to me = A pocket full of money with lot of free time to spend with my family and friends. Thats why i go with IM , I can choose my working hours with my comfort.
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hireava 12 years ago

For me, success means living a comfortable life, having a peace of mind and enjoying life with your loved ones.
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hgy 12 years ago

just freedom from the financial resposabilities i have
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ashleytwo 12 years ago

Amartya Sen said that real wealth is having choice. That's what success means to me:
The ability to choose to do whatever I want.
Without being constrained by things like time, or money.
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AMill 12 years ago

Success to me is being able to alone and reflect upon who you are and have achieve and be completely at peace knowing that you are always reaching for you potential.
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ButterflyN 12 years ago

Financial Freedom
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ButterflyN 12 years ago

Success to me is completing at least half my to-do list each day
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Michael Newman 12 years ago

For me, success is a work in progress. It means being the best that I can be, in all vital facets of my life. It's not a static concept, I'm going to re-define it ''tomorrow''.
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Kenster 12 years ago

success to me is living a free and flexible lifestyle. Freedom and Flexibility are what I value the most and why I have and will continue to work hard!
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- hardraysnight 12 years ago
  
  success is having done it, not having talked about it
  
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  sprice 12 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by oncewerewarriors
  
  success is having done it, not having talked about it
  
  Great quote, and success is something many people will never experience. IMO of course.
  
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Daniel Wilson 12 years ago

To have 1 hour a day to listen to music and to really relax.
By not having sleep issues.
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mariazz 12 years ago

Success means for me is achieving what you want financially, spiritually and emotionally. It's like feeling contended with you're life.
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- Gary Smith 12 years ago
  
  Thanks for all the wonderful replies. I think it demonstrates quite overwhelmingly that success can be defined in many, many ways - and every one of them is true!
  
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  Gary Smith
  
  PHP Developer and aging geek
  
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What Does Success Mean To You?

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