Definition of success in Oxford English Dictionary:

“the accomplishment of an aim or purpose”

I define success as being happy rather than being rich. But, right now, the two metrics of success that drive most of us are money and power, but by themselves, they make a two-legged stool, fine for balancing on for a short time, but after a while, you’re headed for a fall. And guided by this limited definition of success, more and more “successful” people are falling.

So what we need is a more humane and sustainable definition of success that includes well-being, wisdom, wonder, empathy, and the ability to give back. But how do we recalibrate our current benchmarks of success?

Of course, all things considered, I’d prefer to be rich and happy rather than poor and happy. I am no expert on how one become rich, so I will concentrate on how ones becomes happy. Feeling successful and accomplished is the main ingredient of happiness, having said that every success dose not bring happiness.

“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.”

Sir Winston Churchill

Where should you be Successful?

There are many areas in a persons life; self, family, friends, work, community and so on. (You may want to add more) 

To be truly happy (successful), each of these areas need to be properly balanced. You have to decide what are your goals in life, set your targets, and have a go at them. Obviously not all of these will have equal importance, set your priorities, just try not to ignore any of them.

Take a look at each of the blocks in the chart, then take a minute or two to see how you could improve on it. Take a step at a time, just minor improvements.  If you do this on a regular basis, then your life will gradually expand.

Build Harmony in your Life

When someone concentrates on just one or two of these areas, then the others will fight back. A workaholic will probably lose his family and friends, then become an alcoholic. It is not always easy to keep everything in harmony. Sometimes you will need to pay a lot more attention to one area and leave the rest. For example you suffer a financial setback and the bill collectors are beating on your door. For a while all of your time and efforts go into making money. Does this mean everything else has to suffer? NO. There are ways to lessen the impact on the other areas of your life.

So, what is the meaning of success? Real success is winning in all areas of your life. It’s almost like juggling, not an easy task but quite achievable. Picture each area of your life, see how they could all be in harmony, imagine how that would feel.

You Can Do It

Just keep trying and growing. Success is not a one shot deal, it takes persistence and continual attention. You  must expect barriers and resistance on the road to success. There are many wins along the way, you should have fun reaching your goals.