We live in an age of unprecedented superficiality, spending copious amounts of our time carefully cultivating and curating the ‘perfect’ presentations of ourselves and our accomplishments, to court attention, admiration, and acceptance.
But, with the ongoing global crisis of Covid-19, we have been forced to stop and reflect on how we have lived our lives.
And if many were to be honest, they would admit to being deeply disappointed and disillusioned in their pursuit of success.
That’s because we rarely stop to ask ourselves what success really means to us.
Instead, we have fallen for modern society’s narrative of ‘success’― unrealistic standards of physical beauty, overflowing pots of cash, packed social calendars, mega mansions, super cars, yachts the sizes of small countries, and streams of socially connected friends.
Yet, the alarming levels of people battling what the World Health Organization has classified as the health epidemic of the 21st century―stress―suggests that we urgently need to reassess what success means to us, if we are to successfully heal and thrive, individually and collectively.
This article aims to help you discover, or re-evaluate your definition of success.
Because, until you’re able to do that, you’re bound to keep chasing someone else’s dreams, that will lead to great disappointment, no matter what you achieve.
To Authentically Determine What Success Means To You, Consider The Following Questions:
- Whose life story are you really living? (consider your own heartfelt beliefs and desires in contrast with those of the influential people in your life; parents or guardians, grand parents, siblings, friends, colleagues, enemies, celebrities you admire or follow).
- Apart from earning a living, why do you do what you do?
- What makes you happy?
- What are the 3 top qualities you admire in others?
- Imagine that you only have one more year to live, how would you spend your remaining time?
- What do you want to be remembered for?
Your answers to the above questions, can help you to decipher what really is important to you, wherein lies your true definition of success.
And when you start aligning your intentions and efforts with your authentic version of success, you will go from feeling perpetually stressed, anxious, frustrated, disillusioned and more, and instead, become more confident, mindful, deliberate, and free.
Free to be you,
Free to form loving relationships that are based on mutual attraction and shared values, rather than outward appearances and status.
Free to express and share your natural talents and gifts without fear of judgement.
Free to arrive at the end of your life journey and look back at your experiences with love and appreciation, and not sadness and regret.
When it comes to success, there’s no one size fits all.
It is up to each of us to define what success means for us, and then have the courage to design and follow our own unique path, free from conditioning and manipulation.
A Few Helpful Tips That Have Greatly Benefited Me And Many Of My Clients:
Put In Writing What Success Looks Like For You.
Writing down your definition of success will help you to clarify your desires and goals, and help you nurture the transformative powers of visualization and imagination, both vital qualities in the process of manifestation.
Limit What You Mentally Consume.
You’ve often heard that, “You’re what you eat.”, but did you also know that you become what you mentally consume?
Become discerning in your consumption of outside information, to avoid becoming conditioned and corrupted by society’s version of success.
Spend Time In Solitude.
There’s something soothing, healing, and liberating to be found when we deliberately turn our attention inwards, in solitude. It helps us to connect with the universal wisdom that resides within our hearts, and wherein lie the answers to all that we seek.
Let Go Of Useless Relationships.
Your time is limited, so stop wasting it on useless relationships out of a guilty sense of obligation.
Anyone who sucks the energy out of you and obstructs your path to success has got to go, because you can’t design and execute a success plan while being weighed down by naysayers, doubters, or losers.
Remember What Made Your Heart Sing As A child.
What made you happy as a child?
Was it reading books, dancing, playing an instrument, or playing the leader in games?
As children, we don’t think about our abilities. We don’t stop to consider what we are good at or not, we just innately gravitate to things that make us happy.
But, as we grow older, we are conditioned to conform to society’s expectations, and in the process, we forget what comes naturally to us.
The time has come for us to rebel against modern society’s narrative of what success is and define our own authentic versions.