Have You Ever Wondered How People Define Success?
Success seemed really simple in elementary school. You get an A on your math test — success! You win a game of foursquare — success! You play a solo in your band concert and don’t miss a note — success!
Adult life is much more complex than acing a spelling test every Friday. As a result, each person’s definition of success is unique.
I wanted to know how others define success, so I turned to my peer groups on LinkedIn and asked them just that. I started by sharing my definition of success in order to open up the dialogue.
What was the result? I learned that many of us hold similar ideas about success. In fact, I noticed four trends in people’s definitions of success: relationships, purpose, contentment, and the importance of striving for goals. Take a look at the wonderful responses below, and you will see what I mean.
What is Your Definition of Success?
1. Success is About Relationships
David Morlah
Teamwork & Leadership Guy/Baseball Scribe
Success is making a lot of money and having power and control over other people. Okay, just kidding. I believe success is all about relationships with people. It’s maintaining long term friendships and being at peace with all in your family. It’s about forgiving those who may have done you wrong, and harboring no bitterness or deep regrets. If you are loved, and if you love others, you are successful.
Ed Gilbert
Vice President Business Integration at Truven Health Analytics
Success is being able to look back in life and note the influence and guidance that you have provided to others. It is the long list of people that seek out my advice about career, business, or personal matters. That is when you know you are successful.
2. Success is Finding Peace and Contentment in Life
Allan Griff
Independent Plastics Engineer/Anthropologist
David’s kidding shouldn’t be dismissed so easily. Although its unPC among us levies to go after money and power to make more, we are surrounded and often dependent on people who have those values, and need to understand how they tick, and not just toss their values into the trashosphere. I want to free myself from such goals as “success” and prefer the idea(I) of contentment. Good health (no extremes) and good genes help. Please remember that some of us (not just us engineers) don’t thrive on personal relationships, but somehow muddle through them and find contentment in believing what we see (science) and not seeing what we believe, observing from the outside, and thinking on the inside. Yes, I want to earn enough money to free me from economic anxiety, and I want power, but over myself and not others. Anne, thank you for asking us this question. I hope lots more of us are thinking about it even if they don’t post..
Rhyz Buac
Vice President — Finance and Operations at Alenter Resort Hotels Corporation
When you are happy and satisfied/contented of what you have then you are already successful
Kathy Barany, PHR
Principal, Strategic Management Solutions
Love David’s definition…all except that first line that had us going! To me, success is personal and professional. personally, it is being healthy and happy; healthy being physical and emotional, and the happy part is all that David said. Professionally, it is being happy with what we do and having a healthy attitude towards mistakes along the way; we learn from them.
3. Success Starts With Identifying Your Purpose
Ruth M.Schimel
at Career & Life Management Consultant
I don’t believe there’s one definition of success because each of us has unique interests, goals, and needs. Once there is a sense of purpose, defining success becomes more accessible, varying with time and experience.
Ruth Schimel, Ph.D.
Author of “Step Into the Success You Want: Sparking Your Powers”
Arthur Cilley
Independent Business Advisor
I like your definition. My definition also includes some creative/artistic expression and some spiritual involvement.
For 10 years or so I did not do much with music, which had always been probably my favorite way to find peace but also energy. I sang in an a cappella group in college and in church choirs and community choruses after that. When I moved to Texas in the late 90’s I stopped singing for various reasons. In the last two years I have begun to sing again with a barbershop chorus and a quartet or two as well as an excellent choral group associated with, but not part of, the church where I used to belong. I find that I missed that chance to perform more than I realized. It need not be singing, of course. Painting, crafts, dancing, acting, public speaking or playing an instrument are all equally rewarding depending on your talents.
Spiritual satisfaction is perhaps harder to come by. I believe, however, that “success” includes some philosophical reflection on why we are here. Without getting too preachy, we could all benefit from some soul searching about our place and purpose in the world. Many find that in a church or other religious organization but meditation or a walk in the woods or volunteering at a youth or senior center also provide insight.
Best wishes to your readers for success however they define it.
4. Success is a Process, Not a Specific Goal
Larry Smith
Business Development, The Belt’s Corporation
Success describes the fulfillment and peace of mind people acquire from nurturing and developing their minds(perpetually learning), bodies(physical/emotional wellness), and spirit(discovering maximal perspectives that yield lifelong and immediate purposes). It requires developing, implementing, and refining three strategies at once. Then the Magic happens…
Mark C. Miller
International (Latin American) Financial Risk Management
I would say that success is the process of identifying, and striving to reach, our own aspirations…perhaps we can repeatedly halve the distance to meeting those aspirations; in any case, the real success seems to come from striving for or toward something that we find meaningful, not from a final result of actually having arrived there.
Good luck to all.
Emilly Filloramo
Success & Happiness Catalyst | Confidence Coach | Author | Speaker | Nutritionist
Success is giving all that you’ve got, knowing that you did go outside of your comfort zone, pushed through the obstacles, picked yourself up after failing and doing it over and over again. All in the name of leaving this world a better place than you have found it.
Karen Fox
Environmental Research/GIS Analysis
Knowing that I have the power to turn a potential disappointment into an opportunity for gratitude.
Acknowledging that, what I might have done better today, is something I can always strive for again tomorrow. (No room for regrets)
Being there for my friends and family, and allowing them to do the same for me.
(…and having my mortgage paid off!!!)
Let’s continue the dialogue.
As I mentioned in my interview with Cornell University, success to me is working with fully engaged clients, giving back to my community in the form of teaching and mentorship, and living my purpose. But what about you? How do you define success?
Let’s share experiences. Leave a comment below, send me an email, or find me on Twitter.