How do YOU define success?

[YTNUKLR]

question

[Danny_Ocean]

It is wise to keep in mind that neither success nor failure is ever final. ~ Roger Babson

[dd74]

Happiness.

[cl8ton]

Happiness and the pursuit of Porsche parts!
Oh ya, a vacation with the wife now and then...looking over my shoulder...

[911Rob]

Happiness comes from having Dreams;
Success comes from making Dreams come True!

Poster in my office for years!

I often speak on this very subject.
To me; the ultimate success I can have is a great relationship with my wife.
Everything else on this earth is secondary to that single thing.

Now to get my actual daily habits, calendar, etc. to reflect that statement; well, that's another thing!

[Sonic dB]

i think its pretty simple...it is a) having a plan, b) going for it, and c) achieving something along the line that meets your level of expectations.
Simple, but is very hard to do for most people....

Most people either do not have a plan (do not know what they really want), or if they do...do not really give it the proper effort (lack motivation to stick with it)... or if they do a + b, sometimes their expectations are impossible to achieve and in-turn, they do not appreciate the gains that they have made and it becomes a failure in their minds, despite actually being a success by all rational measures.

And it can come in all areas of life...a person could be a complete success in business but a failure at home, or a failure in their health etc. but thats a whole 'nother topic. The key is to figure out a)b)c) in each part of your life and try to balance success between the areas. It is not hard to do but is worthwhile. I am still working on it. lol

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Netting the highest value for the least expenditure of resources to get it. Note that I said "value", not "money". Money is one component of valuation (and perhaps the biggest one) but it's the balance of work, life, professional satisfaction, enjoyment, recreational opportunities, etc. that all can be rolled into the equation in order to give a number. The bigger the number for the lower amount of effort expended to get there = the most successful person.

[911Rob]

As I said, I often talk about this exact subject; one of my favorites!

My talk goes.........
Success: What is Success?
Do you know that if we ask 100 people this question, we're likely to get 100 different answers. That's because Success is a personal definition. However, to be successful, you must be able to personally define this question for yourself.

Let me demonstrate an example of what that might be.
Think of something that you would really want to accomplish in your life. Write it down on a piece of paper. Now think of something that is very important to you and write that down. Continue to write down all your goals and dreams, even values and personal qualities. Write them all on a separate piece of paper. Hopefully you can come up with 50 to 100 different things to write down? The amount of things doesn't matter. Now imagine placing all the pieces of paper on a table in front of you.

Now of all these things that you have written down, you can pick 1.
The one you pick is to be the MOST important one. Which one are you going to pick up first?
Go ahead pick another and maybe one more, in order of importance to you. Now you have 3.
This could very well be your personal definition of what success is to you at this moment in your life?

Lets imagine you wrote down things like a 993 Twin Turbo Porsche, a big new house, an airplane, your relationship with your wife or a wife if you don't have one, your kids, your parents, your Church and your job/career. Doesn't matter what things you wrote down or how many; I'm just giving you an example. Now I've explained this analogy to 100's of very successful people and everytime I do, there is not one person who ever argued the fact that their family was one of the most important things to them. Think about that for a second.

If you could have all the "success" in the world, money, power, fame, what have you; but not have your family, what good would that success be? Nonetheless, this is something to think about and the very first step to becoming successful is to have your own personal definition of the word.

Understand also, that your definition of the word will change throughout your life, it's ever evolving as you accomplish your goals in your life, your definition will change. To be inspired to great personal success, you should re-evaluate your definition annually.

You can also develop a definition in areas of your life. Such as "Success" as a family, Success in your career, Success in Health, Spiritual, Mental and Physical. The real excercise is to develop your personal Dreams and Goals, tailor made to your life.

author - Rob McKibbon

[Porsche-O-Phile]

When did you start working for Hallmark?

[azasadny]

Success to me is being able to be the father/husband/friend that I've always wanted to be...

[widgeon13]

To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

[cool_chick]

when you get laid.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

As someone who has seen great success and tasted absolute failure, I define success as having the ability to increase momentum in any direction you are going while keeping a humble heart. Success is process, not an event.

[craigster59]

You're not trying to get me into Amway are you?..

[VINMAN]

Originally Posted by dd74

Happiness.

+1 !

[Dantilla]

Wrong question.

Our Western cililization thinking tends to define our lives in "success", usually looking at the bottom number on the bank statement.

I think the right question is "Am I significant?"

Does life have meaning?
Will there be a lasting impact after I'm gone?
How will I be remebered?
Will I be remembered at all?
Is my impact on other's lives always positive?

Having a positive impact on others is more important than a big checkbook. Of course, sharing that big checkbook is one tangible way of making a positive impact. Are my children well-prepared to face the path in front of them?
Do people feel better after coming to me for advice?
Are people glad to see me when I enter the room?
Does my spouse feel secure?

Back to defining success- How about "Living without stress". Good relationships, no worries, or minimal worries, about money....

Wow. Too much to think about on a Monday morning.

[legion]

Originally Posted by cool_chick

when you get laid.

How about when you get laid?

[70SATMan]

Originally Posted by YTNUKLR

question: How do you define sucess?

My daughters.

[Sapporo Guy]

success is the opposite of failure ... failure is the road to success ... success is the road to failure ...

lolo .... my success is your failure ... your failure is my success ...

edit:
when I have failure, you have success, so I have success by helping you have success
end edit:

Any other versions out there ?


simple verison:
ugh, it's late ... 5am now ... gotta get some sleep.
Success is waking up on time!


Just in case ... you didn't get the zen reference ... it's in the eye of the beholder

I am a success even when I fail !!!
However, I still feel like crap when I fail

night all, sweet dreams :blush:

[Moses]

To me the term "success" implies a final destination. It's the journey that matters, not the destination.

I prefer to let others define success. I'm just here for the ride.