What is Success?

One of the first things you need to do if you want to have a successful business is to define what “success” means for you.

Too often, the eager businessperson begins their search for success with a very broad definition of what that might look like. Success to many starting out means money, achievement, climbing the ladder, etc…

But the problem with success measured so broadly is that it is not attainable, not achievable. Real success comes in all different shapes and sizes, and looks very different for each person.

So, What is Success Really?

For me, success is not a number. It can’t be a number. The people in my life, my family and friends, are too important. My success includes my relationships with my wife and children, my friends, my siblings and parents.

That means, that if I made five million dollars a year, but neglected my relationship with my wife, I would not be successful. I measure my personal and professional success together, both of these aspects of success extremely vital in my life.

I’m not saying that having a number in mind that pertains to your success is wrong (trust me, I have a number), I’m saying you need to decide if that’s the only thing you’re using to measure your success.

Once you decide where you want to be successful, you need to identify specifically what that looks like. Does it look like earning $100,000 a year? $1,000,000? Does it look like having time with your family every day? Does it look like going to the gym? You need to get specific.

Why Define Success?

If you neglect to define what you want from the start, you could end up years down the road, having chased an idea of success that you never truly wanted.

I’ve seen this happen to friends who thought that success meant climbing the ladder and getting that next promotion. Eventually they looked around and realized that this wasn’t what they really wanted.

Don’t let that happen.

My Challenge to You:

Think of these questions:

What do I want?

What does success mean for me?

What does success look like for me in my business?

What does success look like for me in my personal life?

So, what does success look like for you? Let me know in the comments below.

It might seem like a simple answer, but being sure of what success means for you in the beginning of your journey will help you actually reach your goals and give you a much better sense of direction.