How Do You Define Success?
What is success? How can you measure a person’s success? Defining success whether it is in life, career, or business can be broad because we all have different perspectives on success and how to measure it. How you perceive success in how you perceive yourself and your life. Merriam Webster Dictionary defines success as degree or measure of succeeding, favorable or desired outcome, the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence. The world’s bases of success are material wealth or fortune, fame, promotions, or achievements. But for some, success is not material things but more on personal happiness and joy with family.
Living up to someone else’s idea or measure of success is unhealthy. Basing your standard of success to the world’s standard could be devastating and bring pressure on yourself. It will also lead you to wrong decisions and wrong focus on things that have less value. It is important to have a correct measure of success and have a balanced understanding of it. To have a correct and balanced perception of success has a great impact on your focus and motivation in pursuing success and your mission and vision in life.
The true meaning of success is far beyond fortune and fame, it is more than what you achieved in life, material things you gained, and more than the money you earned and saved. Success is having the joy and loving what you do; having victory or overcoming your difficulties, fears, or any circumstances; having a good impact and good influence in other people’s lives; being content and grateful for what you have and for who you are; being able to accomplish your goals; peace of mind and harmony with others; being able to help other people without expecting something in return; being able to sleep peacefully and tightly at night; and most importantly, success is having the right and happy relationship with anyone.
People define and measure success differently on different levels and ways. Let me share with you some of the quotes of success from famous personalities and some from people I know.
“Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.”
John Wooden
“Define success on your own terms, achieve it by your own rules, and build a life you’re proud to live.”
Anne Sweeney
“Success is simple. Do what’s right, the right way, at the right time.”
Arnold H. Glasow
“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure. “
Colin Powell
“Success means we go to sleep at night knowing that our talents and abilities were used in a way that served others.”
Marianne Williamson
“Without self-discipline, success is impossible, period.”
Lou Holtz
“Success is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration.”
Thomas Edison
“Success is knowing your purpose in life, growing to reach your maximum potential, and sowing seeds that benefit others.”
John C. Maxwell
“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”
Albert Schweitzer
“How do I define success? Let me tell you, money’s pretty nice. But having a lot of money does not automatically make you a successful person. What you want is money and meaning. You want your work to be meaningful, because meaning is what brings the real richness to your life.”
Oprah Winfrey
“Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do”
Pele
“Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.”
Napoleon Hill
“One close friend told me that success is defined according to how would you personally view it. It maybe in terms of financial freedom, having a complete happy family, having an owned house or maybe reaching the highest peak of a career. One word to describe success for me is contentment.”
Joshua Cusipag
“Success… it’s learning the lesson/s from a failure, then being able to move forward and turn it around, not committing the same failure twice.”
Erra Pereyra
“The True measure of our success will be the number of people touched and transformed by our Success.”
“Success does not lie in results but in efforts, being the best is not so important, doing the best is all that matters”
To be able to comprehend success is significant because that is how your focus and priority will depend. Only you can decide whether you are successful or not. No matter how and no matter what, as long you have joy in your heart in whatever you do and in every decision you make. As for me, what is more important is, your life shines to other people and you touch other people’s lives with the life you are living.
What is your idea of success? What is your definition of success? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.
