The Definition of Success

By Amy Sherman, LMHC

Does success mean having more and more? Does it mean owning bigger and better? In reality, success is your perception of what you think you want or need. It is your description of what you can attain out of life. Success is different for everyone. Some people equate success with happiness; others relate it to things they have and still others associate it with acknowledgment and fame.Success is often determined by what you have done or achieved and how much contentment, peace of mind and happiness it has brought to you.

Most people do not know what their heart truly wants and that is why it is so difficult feel successful. Success is a process. It is the journey you set for yourself that includes health, happiness, material things, the love of family and friends, knowledge, wisdom, integrity, fulfillment, giving/getting and personal growth. Think about it as a sense of satisfaction with your life and what you are doing. When you are free to be who you are with people you deal with daily and feel at ease with the people closest to you, you have achieved success; when you feel valued, loved, cared for and understood and don't dread facing each day, you are successful. When you have made a difference in other people's lives or even just one person and are grateful for the opportunity, you are a real winner and a success.

Success cannot be measured by the things you have or the connections you know. Success is a feeling that radiates from within and transcends to others. You hear success in someone else's voice; you see success in their smile and in the twinkle of their eyes. You feel it with their touch and gestures and you sense it in their confidence and self-assurance. Ask yourself a few questions to help determine your level of success. 1. Do you wake up in the morning with a feeling of peace of mind?

2. Are you in a loving, respectful relationship that you nurture and support?

3. Do your goals give you special meaning and purpose?

4. Do you appreciate family and friends?

5. Are you committed to self-improvement and growth? If you answered yes, then you are, by all estimations, a true success. What can you do to make yourself feel even more successful? Just look at your thoughts, feelings, hopes, dreams, habits, actions and the things and people around you. You have everything you need inside and out to be the success you've always wanted to be!

About the author: Amy Sherman, LMHC is the author of Distress-Free Aging: A Boomer's Guide to Creating a Fulfilled and Purposeful Life and The Joy of Optimism 10-Lesson eCourse.

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