As I enter my third decade of life, I’ve realized that my definition of success has change drastically. In the past, I thought success was directly tied to job titles and monetary wealth. Now, success is more internal for me. I consider myself a success when I am genuinely pleased with the job I’ve done as a human.
The definition of success is “the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors; the accomplishment of one’s goals.” This can mean different things to different people; it all just depends on your perspective. Regardless of what you consider “success”, there are practical things you can apply to your life in order to achieve it.
Dream Big.
Your dreams may seem completely bonkers to the world, but that’s the very reason why they are your dreams: no one else has to understand them but you, and it is up to you to make them a reality.
Define Your Goals.
Only you can decide what your success looks like. Write the vision, make it plain. Once that’s done, you can take the steps to bring your vision into reality.
Work Hard.
In whatever craft or avenue you are called to master, be diligent in it. There are few things worse than losing your position to someone who was willing to work harder at it.
Be Bold.
The things that changed the course of humanity were not discovered by playing it safe. Every legend in history believed in themselves enough to sacrifice everything they had in order to achieve their goals.
This will require you to fight through your fear. I know from experience that it’s easier said than done, but nothing in life worth having comes easy.
Be Resilient.
The difference between successful people and the rest of the world is persistence: while everyone else gave up, the successful ones kept going through the struggles and rejections. Failure doesn’t come from falling down, but rather from not getting up.
Work On Your Patience.
Never give up on a dream because of the time it will take to achieve; the time will pass anyway. With patience comes peace and with peace comes serenity; this state of mind allows you to withstand whatever life throws at you.
Be Flexible.
Life will throw all sorts of monkey wrenches into your path in order to discourage your from pursuing your passions. Instead of complaining about these setbacks, learn from them and press forward.
Don’t Make Excuses.
The world doesn’t care why you didn’t do something; they only see that you didn’t do it. My mother used to tell me all the time “excuses are like buttholes; everybody has one.”
Embrace Change.
The only constant in life is change. You don’t want to miss out on it because you’re afraid to disturb the status quo.
Don’t get so comfortable in what is that you completely miss what could be.
Be Genuine.
Imitations are a dime a dozen, but authenticity always sets itself apart from the pack. Within this comes intention: people won’t remember what you said, but rather how you made them feel.
A successful human wants the best for every person they come in contact with. This doesn’t mean allow people to take advantage of you, but you should make sure that you don’t diminish others to elevate yourself.
Show Gratitude.
Success is all about perspective: how you view things will dictate how you respond to them. Good or bad, everything we experience in life is an opportunity for growth.
Life isn’t always rainbows and butterflies, but it is always a blessing. The sooner you realize that, the sooner you will see success.
