How do I define success for
myself?
There are 3 steps...
Step 1. Ask yourself this question.
I know I am being successful by...
[fill
in the blank here]
It’s very important that you use the exact sentence structure and words that you
see above because this sets you up to articulate more clearly how you not only
define success but how you know you’re being success at any given moment. See,
we promised you a subtlety and that is it.
Step 2. Tweak your 3 responses until they
resonate.
You'll know that
a success definition is phrased well when you feel a tingle in your body, or the
light bulb goes on or you feel otherwise excited. Not feeling that way yet?
Not to worry. This exercise is new for most people and it may take a couple
days of tinkering with your success definitions before they zing. And they
will. You will also find yourself thinking about success as you are redefining
it; that is good! If you are truly stuck and just can't find resonating
definitions, then simply start over and pick totally different ones. This,
because sometimes people confuse what they should or could want for their
success definitions with what they really, really want.
Step 3. Notice the tugs you feel.
As you feel your
success definitions resonating over the coming weeks, notice the way it tugs at
you to make small, or perhaps significant, changes in your life.
You’ll catch yourself fairly quickly when you feel
pulled away from your definitions. You’ll find it easier to say no to people or
situations that just don’t fit anymore with what is most important to you.
It's up to you if you want
to make these changes right now, but at least you'll know what your body and
heart are suggesting.
Examples
Here are some Strong (S) Weak (W)
examples of definitions of success. What makes an example strong is that it
resonates with you, instead of just describing something important to you. Give
the phrasing a twist until it zings for you. Can't make it zing? Then select
something entirely different for one of your success definitions.
S: I know I am being successful by how much I am enjoying my creativity.
W: I know I am being successful by how creative I am.
S: I know I am being successful by how much I am being nurtured by my
relationship with God.
W: I know I am being successful by how much I believe in God.
S: I know I am being successful by how nice of a person I’m being no matter
what.
W: I know I am being successful by how often I am nice.
