How do you define success?

​If I was to ask five people what their definition of being successful is, chances are good that I will be getting five different answers. 

I actually did the exercise and it was rather interesting to hear everyone’s answer.  None of these different answers can however be viewed as wrong. 
Each one is right in their own way and within their own context. 

…May I ask you, before you read further, to write down your definition of being successful on a piece of paper?

You may have just started off in a new project, or find yourself in a new work environment, or even be in a new relationship.  Or, you may just be at a point in life where you are taking stock of what is working for you and what not.  You may even be re-prioritising and decide on your effectiveness in whatever it is that you are doing, or not doing.  

Question is, how will you know that you’re heading for success? 

​The aim of this article is to assist you in forming a success path.
​Your own unique success path that is.

Success can be viewed as a Destination, like reaching a goal within a certain period of time.

Examples of these can be life goals, task goals, career goals, financial goals, or any other that you may want to reach. 
Another viewpoint of success can be that it is experienced as a JOURNEY with various points of achievement on the way. Actually, there are quite a number of different “destinations” (waypoints) that can be associated with success. By reaching these different way-points, the idea of success being a journey rather than being a destination is rather likely.

Life is a journey.  
…There is a saying that, I was busy doing something and then:
 “Suddenly Life Happened” It can very well be a journey of the unexpected sometimes. 

We may decide what we want to achieve in life, but be sure that many unexpected road works will be encountered on the journey. Unforeseen detours will have to be dealt with and we may even have to turn back or change route because of unexpected storms that may suddenly occur on our planned route. 

The point is that one needs to form your own definition of being successful. 
My success definition will not be yours and yours will not be mine. 
We must be able to deal with obstacles in getting to our desired success outcomes. 
​
The following video clip will give you some indication of different people’s different success definition ideas. It will explain the diversity of the concept and why you should never be afraid to be just who you are and to create your own success story.

YOUR success is about YOU. 
​
The following topics will assist you to find and create your own success story.
1- What is it that you want? (WHY)
2- Be creative in your mind. (VISION)
3-  Way-points opposed to goals. (PLAN)
4-  How will you measure success? (ACHIEVEMENTS)
5- What about the road that lies ahead of you? (DETOURS & STORMS)

 Here is a short discussion on each of these.

1-  What is it that you want? (WHY)
In a previous article, I wrote on the need to define your WHY. Once you have defined your why, you will know the reason for doing what you’re doing and you will have a purpose. When you have a purpose, you will be able to generate motivation from within. Internal motivation will always be much stronger than any external motivation will ever be. 
This is the foundation of anything and everything that you need to build upon to be successful. If you don’t have a 100% understanding of what is said with this, I strongly recommend that you read the article named “Define your “My Business Why” in the link. Once you have defined your WHY, you will have a purpose.
Without a purpose, it will be impossible to achieve anything and success will definitely not come looking for you. 

2- Be creative in your mind. (SUCCESS VISION)
After your WHY has been defined and we know the reason for doing something, it is time to get creative with ideas. Get the VISION in your mind of yourself as if you have already achieved the success story that you are busy creating.
Imagine, what will it be like? 
How will it feel to experience success? 
What is it that will be changed from your present situation? 
Creating a VISION is like dreaming your future accomplishment in being successful.  

3- Way points opposed to goals. (PLAN)
Now for a very interesting part. Play a little mind game with yourself.  
We need to follow through with a number of actions to reach success. 
Instead of planning these actions by working from zero towards success, my challenge to you is to turn the process around in your mind.  You have already created the vision of your own success story in your mind. You have your success vision imprinted in your thoughts. Now set up your way-points backwards to where you are now. That’s right, plan your way to success backwards as if you are already successful.  
This is very powerful. Remember, by now you have not reached success in the physical yet. In the physical, we tend to plan towards success from our present position of not being successful. …..yet. 
I repeat:  We tend to plan from a position of not being successful (yet), towards success.
If we can however change it around in our minds and we plan or actions from a success mindset backwords, we will do such planning with the authority as of being a successful person. It will be as if we draw ourselves from where we are, back to success and not trying to live up to a goal still to be reached. Instead of striving towards success, success will now be drawing you back towards it.
My favourite saying is; “Success will come looking for you” 

I know it may sound far-fetched when you first read this, so my advice is to just read it again and let it sink in. Allow the concept to become a reality in your mind, then put pen to paper. 
Start drawing your imaginary map back to the physical reality. 
I have read so many articles about goals and goal setting and I even wrote my own about it. Yes, goals are important. Goals serve as a road map, but so often I have seen that goals get in the way of results. Especially in the corporate world, goal setting is sometimes emphasised to a point that it seems as if it becomes the object, rather than results. 
Don’t so be goal orientated that it shifts your focus. Rather be constantly aware of your WHY and your SUCCESS VISION.  Re-name goals and call them way-points. Set yourself up for success by pegging your way=points from your SUCCESS VISION backwards. Keep your WHY in mind and let the VISION of success draw you up towards it. 
From this mindset, you can now draft an ACTION PLAN of what you need to do. 
This is the daily “To Do” list from which you will tick off the actions as you complete them. 
….Powerful thoughts will bring amazing results.

4-  How will you measure success? (ACHIEVEMENTS)
By now you will have the realisation that success is not something that needs to be achieved in the physical only. Success can be created in your mind and being successful in this, the achievement of reaching success is already half way won. What remains is, to draw the physical towards the success accomplishment that you already have achieved in your mind. 
If you have this view about success, the physical journey becomes part of your success story and it does not serve as a starting point, working your way towards success. 
In other words, when you can perceive it in your mind that you are successful, you are. 
Now bring the physical into fulfilling it.

As explained, we will have to set up way-points to draw the physical towards success. Each of these way-points becomes a milestone. These milestones can be coupled to timelines and/or desired results. By reaching or completing each of these way-points, a major accomplishment has been reached in the physical and it calls for celebration. 

Award yourself.  Allow yourself to celebrate your accomplishments. When you first set out your way-points, plan for the celebration that you will have when you have reached each way-point. 
These celebrations can be anything, from having an ice-cream all by yourself, or enjoying a cruise ship holiday with your family. You decide. It is your success story and it is your celebrations.  
The way that success achievements will be measured, is now cast in rewards. 

Remember this:
1. You are successful and increasing in it.
2. You have taken charge of your success and you are in control of it.
3. You are busy drawing physical success towards you.
4. There are accomplishments on the way that needs to be celebrated.
5. Each celebration is about the completion of a milestone which is increasing your success.
Measure your achievements by rewards intervals. 

5- What about the road that lies ahead of you? (DETOURS & STORMS)
It is obvious that in any journey, there may be unexpected detours and/or storms on the way. Roads may be washed away and we may even be forced to turn around and take another route.
All this may happen in our physical success journey as well and it will most probably do.

The difference in our approach is that such detours and storms will not prevent us from success, as we are already successful in our minds. We are busy drawing the physical towards the success in our minds. It is a mind game. It is much stronger than the physical realm. 
We just need to draw along another avenue to get past the storms and detours. 
(…I have read many books on WW2. The thing that pulled many survivors through was that they could overcome the hardship with their mind.) 
This is a very simple and easy strategy that will enable us to continue to do what needs to be done, because we approach the issue at hand from a position of faith and authority.  

In Closure:  
You may ask, “What happens at the finish line?”

My question to you in return is; Will there really be a finish line?
Maybe we should be content during the journey.
We experience success from the day we have created it in our minds and then just have to enjoy the journey that follows.

I assume we can have that huge celebration that we have saved for “graduation day”, but as life continues, our success path will continue. 

When the process described in this article is followed, being successful and being content becomes a way of life. 
We don’t need to perform to get to the mark. We are operating from the mark and draw performance towards us.
​
You may think that this sounds like playing mind games and bluffing yourself into beliefs to get to results. It may be so, but do yourself one favour:

Define your WHY. … renew your mind and then decide on your game-plan for success
 

I am helping ordinary people in South Africa to become business entrepreneurs so they can be financially free without the need to worry about losing fixed employment or to fear retirement.
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