{"id":7932,"date":"2011-11-22T22:57:05","date_gmt":"2011-11-23T06:57:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=7932"},"modified":"2013-09-16T09:40:27","modified_gmt":"2013-09-16T17:40:27","slug":"what-does-success-mean-to-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/what-does-success-mean-to-you\/","title":{"rendered":"What Does &#8220;Success&#8221; Mean to You?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div><h1><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Screen-shot-2011-11-22-at-4.36.48-PM.png\"><\/a><\/h1>\n<h1><span style=\"font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal;\">Success. It\u2019s something that most of us want in our lives. We might have a hazy picture of what it looks like:<\/span><\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cLots\u201d of money<\/li>\n<li>A jet-setting lifestyle<\/li>\n<li>A great relationship<\/li>\n<li>Achieving a particular status within a career<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The problem is, none of these things are easy (or even possible) to achieve. How much money is \u201clots\u201d? What counts as a \u201cgreat\u201d relationship? If you chase vague definitions of success, you\u2019re never going to be satisfied.<\/p>\n<p>Plus, you might well achieve \u201csuccess\u201d in the eyes of the world &#8230; only to find that it seems hollow and empty to you.<!--more--><\/p>\n<h2>Don\u2019t Follow Someone Else\u2019s Idea of \u201cSuccess\u201d<\/h2>\n<p>We\u2019ve all got different values and motivations. Some people are content to work in a tedious job because it carries a good paycheck. Others would prefer to work at something creative and fulfilling (even though that means living on ramen noodles). Neither path is objectively \u201cright\u201d \u2013 they could each be perfect for different individuals.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s up to <em>you<\/em> to decide what success means in your life. Don\u2019t get stuck following someone else\u2019s path. For you, success could be:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Never having to worry about money (note: this isn\u2019t necessarily the same as \u201cbeing rich\u201d!)<\/li>\n<li>Being healthy and fit<\/li>\n<li>Playing a vital role within your family (whether that\u2019s as a parent, sibling or child)<\/li>\n<li>Going back to college and getting a degree<\/li>\n<li>Downsizing to a home in a rural area<\/li>\n<li>Writing a book and having it published<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&#8230; or almost anything!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Success doesn\u2019t have to be about money or status. <\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>Be Specific About Your Goals<\/h2>\n<p>When you\u2019re deciding on your personal definition of success, make it as concrete as possible. If you simply want to \u201cbe rich\u201d then you\u2019ll struggle to ever feel like you\u2019ve managed it. A better goal might be \u201cmake $100,000\/year\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Your success should be <em>measurable<\/em>. You might not be able to put a number to it, but look for some way to record your progress towards your goal. For instance, if your \u201csuccess\u201d means \u201cbeing happy and content with my life\u201d then you might want to journal about your thoughts and emotions regularly.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Be clear about what success means, and set specific targets to reach.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>See Failure as a Step on the Path<\/h2>\n<p>You might be familiar with this Thomas Edison quote:<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cI have not failed. I&#8217;ve just found 10,000 ways that won&#8217;t work.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Often, failure is just part of the path to success. If you\u2019re starting up your first business, you might fail: that\u2019s nothing to be ashamed of. Your early failures pave the way to later success. Think back to being a child \u2013 you failed constantly while learning to walk, to talk, to read, to write&#8230; but those failures were necessary in order for you to finally succeed.<\/p>\n<p>Failure is something you <em>do<\/em>, not something you <em>are. <\/em>Sure, you might fail \u2013 again and again \u2013 before you do succeed. But isn\u2019t that better than never even trying?<\/p>\n<p><em>What\u2019s your personal definition of \u201csuccess\u201d? Share it with us in the comments below.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Don&#8217;t Forget To sign up for the\u00a0<a href=\"..\/no-spam-guarantee\/\">PTB NEWSLETTER!<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Related Reading:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/11-simple-ways-to-become-confident-like-a-rap-star\/\">11 Simple Ways To Be Confident Like a Rap Star<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/6-tips-to-writing-a-successful-life-plan\/\">6 Tips To Writing a Successful Life Plan<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The problem is, none of these things are easy (or even possible) to achieve. How much money is \u201clots\u201d? What counts as a \u201cgreat\u201d relationship? If you chase vague definitions of success, you\u2019re never going to be satisfied. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/what-does-success-mean-to-you\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12163,"featured_media":7935,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[6,31],"tags":[1752,129,90,66,565,4629,4640],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v19.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What Does &quot;Success&quot; Mean to You?  - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It\u2019s up to you to decide what success means in your life. 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For you, success could be:\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/what-does-success-mean-to-you\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-11-23T06:57:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2013-09-16T17:40:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Screen-shot-2011-11-22-at-4.36.48-PM.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"642\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"482\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Erin Falconer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/what-does-success-mean-to-you\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Screen-shot-2011-11-22-at-4.36.48-PM.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Screen-shot-2011-11-22-at-4.36.48-PM.png\",\"width\":\"642\",\"height\":\"482\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/what-does-success-mean-to-you\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/what-does-success-mean-to-you\/\",\"name\":\"What Does \\\"Success\\\" Mean to You? - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/what-does-success-mean-to-you\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2011-11-23T06:57:05+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2013-09-16T17:40:27+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2da8ae162c097bdb749ab098472b4cc5\"},\"description\":\"It\u2019s up to you to decide what success means in your life. 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