Defining Success

In our culture, we equate success with things like private jets, expensive cars, and jewelry. If that's your jam then you do you, girl.

But what if your idea of success is bringing clean water to a village in Africa, teaching a child to read, or growing food in your garden to donate to a food bank? Then that's success. Don't let the people around you, or the media, or a memory of your high school guidance counselor define what you think it means to live a purposeful life. 

One helpful exercise is to sit down with a piece of paper and write out what your perfect life would look like in every detail. How do you wake up? Where do you live? How do you spend your time? Who are you helping? What do you look like? Where are you going? Who are you seeing? Writing out your ideal life allows you to really break down what your personal definition of winning at life is.

You get to define what success means for you. Here are some examples of non-material things that you may use to define success:

• an in-depth spiritual practice
• wellness
• getting fit
• building healthy habits
• reading more
• building a strong marriage
• better parenting practices
• making new friends 
• strengthening existing friendships
• journaling
• building a tribe of creative friends
• Volunteering
• Inspiring others

There's nothing wrong with leading a quiet life and pursuing the things that make you happy. There's a reason there's a slow living movement! I don't know why anyone would want to be famous or do anything that involves going to meetings or having every day scheduled. But perhaps you imagine being busy and sought after, running a company, or running for office.

Perhaps you are further along in life and have already attained success in parenting or your career and now you can imagine a shift. Something different. A fresh start. 

Success is a very personal thing. Today take a few minutes to sit down and actually write what you imagine your ideal perfect successful day.

Now you have an idea where you are trying to get to. That makes planning the journey a lot easier, don't you think?