How Do You Measure Success

Million dollar topic of the day....every day for most of us - success! So let's take a minute to ask ourselves a really, really important question:

"What is Success Anyways?"

Before we go any further - grab a piece of paper and write down this question:
"What Does Success Mean To Me?"  Now write down a couple of words that come to mind. Put the paper away for now.

For everyone it will be something different. Well, not totally different, but success is not the same for everyone and if you really sit down with yourself for a minute, you may surprise yourself to see what success means to you!

Success is More Than Money

So I say 'Success' and you say....'Money'..am I right? Probably for 95% of you, yes. Money is usually the 'first' thing that comes to our mind when we think of success. That's okay though, we can train ourselves to not think that way anymore!

Yes, money is part of being successful for sure. In most cases. I say most cases because it doesn't apply to all cases. Take the entrepreneur who started a not for profit medical practice who visits other countries in times of need to help those who can not afford medical care. A business such as that one does not have money as their main measure of success. For this company, they measure success by the number of human lives they help save.

How about the stay at home parent who is working a part-time job while taking care of the kids? The job brings home a bit of money but not the lion's share. However, it does bring home some income. In return, it frees up time so that the family has more time together.

Success Has Many Names

So we've already established success has two other names (work/life balance and helping human lives), so what other names can we think of?

• Pride
• Personal Growth
• Knowledge (New Skills)
• Achievements 
• Awards
• Connections
• Travel & Opportunities
• New Learning
• New Career Paths

You see where this is leading? Take a look at myself for example. I thought of writing this article the other day when I was thinking about what success what all about and I realized it was more than  just money. I realized then I had to write about it because it's so very true!

Success for Me

I have a couple of businesses but by far, my Watkins' business keeps me the busiest. However, I learn new things every day and I do this on purpose! If I don't learn something new each day I have failed myself. I am very successful in my business and personal life because I have grown in ways I never would've imagined. I'm open to possibilities and not afraid to take risks. I'm not afraid to learn new things and see where that path will take me. I make new connections and set goals all the time. Making myself accountable keeps me on track and helps me achieve those goals.

I'm not a millionaire (yet) but I have great work/life balance. I am here for my family and have the freedom and flexibility to keep things pretty stress-free! I have also worked hard and 'successfully' which has won me achievements and awards including free travel and vacations (free is good!).  I have met some great people and developed new skills including new social media skills which I'm still working on. So what is success? I can't measure it by money alone because if I did I would likely feel that I haven't done very good these last few years! However, when I look at all the other factors, I burst at the seams with pride because I realize that yes, I did all that and yes, THAT is what success is (for me anyways!)

Your Homework

Sit down with your piece of paper. Now, look at that question again and think about what it is that you do. Your job...now, what does success mean to you. Your home life...what does success look like? Do you see now that you have achieved more in your life than you gave yourself credit for? Are you realizing now that success is more than just money? Do you see other ways that you've become successful and just hadn't realized it up until now?