By Jamie Allen Bishop with Jamie Allen Bishop Coaching

Each one of us has a different definition of success. To me, the best thing about defining success is that it is always evolving, and my imagination continues to grow and expand.

I wrote my definition of success using a present-tense story. This is a powerful exercise that always brings joy to my heart and clarity to my mind.

* * * * * * * *

I am sitting on the balcony of my favorite home snuggled up in a cashmere blanket and settled against my chaise lounge. I am sipping a lovely cup of hot earl grey tea with just a touch of sweet cream. The sun is peeking over the calm ocean horizon and several dolphins are playing leapfrog in the waters before me.

Contemplating the events of the day ahead, I allow the gentle lapping of the waves to wash over my soul as I imagine how each moment might pan out. For now, this is my meditation practice. This is my moment of connection. This is my peace.

Today is an important day for my business. It is my Fifth Annual New Year’s Eve Extravaganza and Fundraiser aboard the appropriately named Soul Heart FriendShips. The deluxe accommodations host a plethora of guest rooms and a fifty-person crew delighted to tend to the full spectrum of requirements my wealthy guests might expect. The party theme is A Wrinkle In Time, and my guests are dressing in costumes to attend. I imagine everyone sporting their fabulous clothing, feeling comfortable, blessed, and happy.

As I sip my tea, I am reminded of how easily each step of the process has come together – from the divine dance music and enlightening entertainment to the delicious menu items created specifically for each participant, smelling the delicate fragrance of the stunning flower arrangements housed in each room of the entire ship. Every detail has been brought to fruition and many businesses have been supported in the process. Each attendee’s gift bag has been gathered with forethought and love, creating a special and distinctive thank you for their involvement.

We are a company known for hosting fundraiser cruises for philanthropically minded individuals. Each year on New Year’s Eve, we raise money and awareness for my personal project, Teach Your Children Wellness, involving a new kind of free K-through-12 education. This version of required coursework is a modern-day twist on ancient practices in conjunction with the traditional classes necessary to live a productive life. The curriculum we created is quickly becoming the acclaimed method for global education because the instruction involves lessons for the whole person. Through information sharing, practical skills instruction, and intuitive reminders, we teach children (and their parents) wellness. These are classes that encompass the positive effects genuine self-confidence, self-evaluation, and self-worth have on societies across the globe.

Our special two-day cruise celebrates the new year and collects a large chunk of our annual funds. The best thing about this event is that it joins together some of my favorite people in the world – truly beautiful business owners who work collaboratively to make society happy and peaceful.

This fundraiser is the result of support and guidance received from sponsors, colleagues, clients, friends, and family. It is a blessing to be involved, and I am extraordinarily grateful for the continued expansion of my vision for peace on earth.

* * * * * * * *

Can you envision my version of success, too? What role do you play? I welcome you to let me know. I would love to have you aboard!

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By Alicia Williams with Babb’s Blessings

Success.

The definition in webster’s dictionary is:

1 a: degree or measure of succeeding

1 b: favorable or desired outcome

also: the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence

2: one that succeeds

3 obsolete: OUTCOME, RESULT

As I have grown older, the way I define and measure success in my life has drastically changed. In my younger years, it was purely based on financial gain. My thought process was the more money I made, the more successful I was. I was a teacher, so I never felt truly successful because I did not make a lot of money.

Success to me now is happiness for my husband and myself, as well as serving others. That version of success aligns fully with what I am doing in my career and personal life. A huge part of how I measure success is by taking my experiences and sharing them, so others know they are not alone in their struggles and hardships. While that may sound cliché’ or warm and fuzzy to others being relatable is what truly matters to me.

I used to be a follower and a huge people pleaser, presenting myself the way I thought other people wanted to see me. I never put up boundaries in my work or personal life. Ignoring what brought me joy so I could fit into that mold and make everyone else happy. While on the outside I appeared happy and successful, it could not have been farther from the truth. I was losing myself in the process and sliding down a slippery slope.

While finances are indeed important, and my husband and I want to be comfortable with our financial situation, that is not how I measure or define success anymore. You can have all the money in the world and not be happy. To me, that is not success.

Happiness and joy in my life equals success. It is truly that simple for me.

While being happy all the time is not realistic. At the end of the day, I know I am doing what I love. Not trying to fit into anyone’s mold except my own. The more people’s lives I can impact in a positive way, the more successful I am. The more I align myself with my values and my purpose in life the more successful I become.

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By Cheryl Clark with Clark Strategies

Crazy enough I don’t want to define it. 

I’m going to go in two different directions with this blog and this specific blog prompt.  Thank you, Jamie!

#1 – I don’t want to define success.  Is it crazy that I think if I define success, I may also be limiting it?  I’d be confining it to my definition based on my current circumstances, goals, and understanding. 

Stick with me here! 

In Grade 5, you may have defined success as passing math, or not getting caught skipping school or having that special hallway boy or girl reach out for your hand in passing.  Any of those may have been ‘success’ in your eyes.  Imagine defining success and sticking with a definition based on that analogy?  A little far-fetched but I hope you get where I am heading with this. 

I don’t want to define it – it’s moving – and shifting and some days moment by moment as I continue stepping forward.  John C. Maxwell shared in one of his talks that success is not a destination but a movement.  I like that.  I see that movement as a movement of self and a positive movement of others – I think success is NOT a solo game either.

#2 – I believe to find something you must know what you are looking for.  You can not find what you don’t seek.  You can not find something if you don’t know what it is you are looking to get. 

This thought process leads me to think boy oh boy I need to define success and be very specific and articulate in my definition so that I know exactly what I am looking for and more importantly, so I know when I have found it.

I recall a networking event where one of the participants shared their goal was to make more money this month.  I reached into my pocket, pulled out a dollar bill (back when there were dollar bills), and handed it to her.  I said, “you now have made a dollar more than you were expecting this month”.   The room chuckled.  It was a point well received. We need to be more specific in our goals, and I take that down to we need to be more successful in our definition of success as well. 

However, is success really what we are craving?  Is that the end goal – to say I was successful?  Is success merely an umbrella and so many items must fit under it such as time freedom, monetary gains, legacy, others?  Is success what I am chasing?  Hmmm.

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By Cindy Rose Ferguson with Avon with Cindy Rose

Success is such a subjective word. In short, I am humbled to say I’ve experienced an abundance of success in my life.

Professional is the most frequent connection to the word “success”. In this regard, yes. Career and independent ventures alike have shown up for me and continue to nourish success in my life.

My professional growth began in September of 1976 from building tent trailers (those long silver ones) and renting a room, to packaging baked-on-site goods, to 10-hour shifts under $2.00/hour folks. Then there was a real 2”x4” upside my head with “A Cause for Pause” when I ended up with a serious back injury… stopped in my tracks.100%. The silver lining was that during this time, I was blessed to return to school. When I returned to the factory, it was in the office within the plant, assisting with plant office duties (no computer, yet).

Voila – a new and blessed “Cause for Pause”, which was the first of many, until 1988, when major illness and surgery put me back into a challenging “Cause for Pause”. Well, time to sit back and learn, again.

The following 25 years would see me primarily in the travel industry. From October of 1978 until July 1991, I was beside my mother, helping her run her Travel Agency – Travel Your Way. We were waiting for the building to be renovated from a motorcycle shop to an elegant travel agency, in a room in the back of a gas and service centre for Mac Trucks. Mom went on the road, and I managed the paperwork and phones. My surgery created the opportunity to use my brain, not the body. It grew and grew, providing many great honors through those years.

Next comes my M.A.C. (Mini Administration Computer) story. I like the M.U.G (mac.users.group) story. I was chosen, along with our wee agency, in Canada to work with Air Canada in the development and implementation of The M.A.C. – Mini Administration Computer.  Something brand new to the travel industry. 2000… The New Age in Automation…Yay!!

My travel career ended in 1999. Y2K warned it would change the world, and it did. It changed our world as we knew it for sure. I am forever grateful for the 70’s to y2k because I was able to experience the gifts and lessons of so many cultures and ancient civilizations.

April 1999 to March 2017 was a lengthy “Cause for Pause” and there were too many blessings from this period of time to document here.

Currently, Avon with Cindy Rose is as successful as I make it, as with all things in life. To me, it is all up to each and every one of us individually to define and create our “success”.

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By Marion Knaus with Raise the Bar Fitness & Nutrition & Granolala

How do I define success? I have been mulling this question over since it was first asked of me. My initial response was “oh that’s easy. Success is…um…hmm”, well actually not such an easy question to answer. Trying to come up with a clear answer still eludes me and it probably always will. The more I think about it the more I see that it’s a heavily loaded question and a very personal one to answer. For me, success is like a kaleidoscope. It changes with every situation I find myself in.

Success isn’t measured by significant financial gain, although that is a bonus. Finding success is a process to work through as I have done many times over. Sometimes the process is easy, other times it’s incredibly difficult. It’s working towards a set goal. It can be a small step or a huge leap in the right direction. Success can be defined by making a decision. The decision can be to stay on course or deviate. That’s success. It’s working through a new idea or reaching the finishing point of a project. Both of those can give a feeling of accomplishment, a feeling of succeeding. Finding yourself where you want to be is successful just as finding yourself where you need to be despite what you do to avoid being there.

No one else can truly measure your success. So, yes, success is personal. Deeply personal. And when I have that feeling that I’ve succeeded, oh is it ever good.

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By Sharon Loduca with Sharon Loduca Real Estate

How you do ONE thing is how you do EVERYthing.

Admiral McRaven admonished his graduating seniors with this statement in his commencement speech, “If you want to change the world, start by making your bed.”

These are sobering thoughts, aren’t they? They are rather simple in direction, not complicated to understand or comprehend, but sobering.

I tend to overthink. Along with that tendency, comes a distinct ability to over-complicate . I always think there is some great strategy, some master plan, some secret formula for success.

I look behind me, way more often than is wise, and see the trail of things that didn’t quite work out as planned. I look at the unfinished pile on my desk and all the ideas on my phone notepad, which were great ideas at that moment when I took time to jot them down.

Then I remember: What I focus on, expands.

We know this. What happens when we focus on our fears? Yeah, they deepen and multiply. What happens when we focus on sweet thoughts about a budding romance? Yeah, we will daydream all day, and stomp on the foot of the person who dares to interrupt.

What you focus on, expands. But what does all this have to do with success?

I realized that once I owned that four-letter F-word (fear) as a normal part of life, I was free (my other favourite four-letter F-word) from having to focus on it. With the absence of fear having a dominant hold, “what-if” starts to take its place.

What surprised me most about this is what I finally came to realize: success is an inside job! All those things we call ‘success’ (good job, lots of clients, money, hot red convertible, big house, luxury vacations) are simply the BY-PRODUCT of that inside job!

I started by finding success right where I am, and I recommend the same for you.

Today, it may start with getting out of bed. Tomorrow, it may be making the bed. Next week, it may be leaving an addiction behind or signing up for a course. Next month, success may be sticking with a goal until it is completed. 

Success may simply be no longer complying with the world’s constant non-stop 24-7 demands. Success may be living a healthier lifestyle. It may be learning the ability to slow down and in that very moment enjoy your kids, immersing in the fullness of the welcoming embrace of the rising sun, savouring the aroma of those freshly roasted vanilla coffee beans.

The biggest obstacle to success is me. Hence, the biggest contributor to success? Also me!! Think about that!! I mean: Stop. Really think about what that could mean to the quality of your life. Think about how much of our success rests in the fold of our own hands!

You will likely experience bumps in the road, setbacks, and obstacles. You may even lose motivation and focus sometimes. That is perfectly ok. It is normal. It is called LIFE. Don’t give these things more power than they deserve. Recognize them as normal and carry on. Don’t worry about those hiccups. Just stay the course.

As you find success on the inside, it will flow over to other areas of your life. Success is not just something that happens because of work. 

Success is something that changes on the inside, one small decision at a time, allowing me to find a new perspective, to find courage, to believe in myself and the people surrounding me. 

Success is openly and unabashedly celebrating every step we take in the right direction, regardless of its outcome.  

In this light, clearly, we are all destined for SUCCESS!!

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By Katja Chen, Independent Consultant with Isagenix International

Google’s definition of success is, “The accomplishment of an aim or purpose”.

At first glance, I don’t like this definition because I immediately think it is tied to a set goal or deadline. For example, a certain amount of income; a title like director; or, a marathon champion.

For 2023, I absolutely have a title and a monthly income as my target. However, achieving those targets does not define my success.  Titles and compensation are the results of little steps taken consistently over a period of time.  Those little steps are the successes I will celebrate!

I drank more water this week than last week. Success!

I reached out to new people every day this week. Success!

I spent more quality time with my family this week. Success!

I implemented a new tool I learned. Success!

I had uncomfortable conversations I avoided in the past. Success!

I am better today than I was yesterday. Success!

Looking back at the Google definition from that angle, I do like it!  Like Wayne Dyer once said, “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

What are some seemingly small things that YOU accomplish daily or weekly? I welcome you to take a moment to recognize them as successes and to celebrate them accordingly.

How different would it feel, how proud and confident would we all be if we recognized the small wins and called them successes, instead of waiting for that promotion, title, or financial reward?

Here’s to ALL your successes in 2023!

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By Wil Becker with Turning Leaf Solutions

What Does Success Look Like for Me?

In 2008, I failed a job interview with a technology company. The interviewer asked, “What would you do if time and money were no longer a limitation?”

I thought about it for a moment and replied, “I would be a full-time Dad.”

The interviewer’s face fell, and I saw that I was done with the interview. At that point, we both knew that we were done. I left the interview and went on my way.

Several years later, we lost our home to foreclosure because we didn’t understand the financial markets and system. Because of that, I started reading, listening, and associating with leaders from different industries. In time, I met with people that connected me to two top leadership experts and their company. Their goal is to help 1,000,000 people become financially free.

This connection has been a great blessing to my life, and I have joined their mission and company. I see success as becoming financially free. I see that success providing the income to build local businesses that can bless and serve my community. I want to take that income and help others create the lifestyle that they want. I see the freedom to spend family time and create memories for my family and business partners. Success to me is being an influential member of my community, county, state, and international business community.

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By Suzy Rawlins with Roots and Boots with Suzy Rawlins

“Failure is success in progress.” – Albert Einstein

Be warned, there is a price to pay for success. That price includes hard work, creative thinking, and a determination to keep trying… to keep getting up, regardless of whether you run into a brick wall, stumble over a bump in the road, or fall flat on your face.

To be successful at anything, you need courage, confidence, and consistency. 

It takes enormous courage to start, it takes passion to keep going, and it takes GRIT to finish. In some cases, success is not always about completing the project but more about learning something along the way. Being courageous to begin is so much more important for success than anything else. 

You may feel apprehensive or even risky when starting something new.  Staying focused or getting back on track is easier with confidence. On your journey to success, you might even gain more confidence. Confidence is the feeling or belief that you can rely on someone or something. It means having faith in yourself.

Consistency is the push, there is power in the push. It is going to take longer and be harder than you imagined.  Push is where muscle is flexed, strength is summoned, and beads of sweat will fall from your face. After the push, you are stronger and braver and can genuinely encourage others to do the same.  YOUR push gives others permission to push themselves.

Trusting in the process is what makes success possible. It’s common for people to give up when things get tough, or they face obstacles in the middle.

By my definition, success is equivalent to perseverance.

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By Matthew Laker with Experior Financial Group Canada

The reality of COVID caused my wife and me to ask what we want out of life.

Not only was there COVID and its impact on our world, but I was also struggling with who I was and my mental and physical health. 

The result was I tapped out of my 20-year career, not having a complete plan, income, or pathway forward.   

A year later and some reflection and walking a path of healing. We look back and can see now a season of change was coming. Perhaps it was sped up, due to my mental health.  

This tapping out, if you will, led to a strange year. It has allowed me to wrestle with who I am, what I am about, and what I want for my family and myself. One trusted advisor recognized a real loss of knowing my mission and identity. When that is gone, it is hard to define success.

I had to wrestle with not only what I wanted, but also with who I am. I had to wrestle with the lies I believed about myself and let go of them. 

In one seminar I teach called Financial Guardrails, one of the guardrails is to define financial success. When I sit with people in my financial service business, I figuratively give a paintbrush and paint to them. I then ask them to paint me a picture of what they want their retirement to look like, what their values are, and where they want to go. What happens in this process is they are defining goals, identity, values, mission, hopes, and dreams. From that, we put a plan together based on what success looks like for them. 

To answer the question of what is success? We need to know who we are, our values and mission, and what brings real meaning that lasts. To do that, we need to know what we want out of life – what are our skills and passions and what we are willing to learn and work for.

Defining success is so important because it drives us, helps us articulate our purpose and adds meaning to our lives. Something deep within us needs those things; we are lost when we do not have them.

We need to define success in two areas. 

1. What does success look like in this moment, project, or relationship?
2. What does success look like in my life? When I get to the end of my life, what do I want to be proud about?

One lesson from the tapping out for me is to do something. Take some action. You may be struggling with defining success in your life at the moment. The action you take may not be where you end up, but the activity will help clarify what success looks like. 

As I write this, 2022 is coming to an end, and as I walk into 2023, I am working at realigning my life and affirming, defining, and updating what success looks like for me.

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