6 Questions to Develop Your Custom Definition of Success: Define Your Own Path

Introduction: Success is Personal

What is your definition of success? Most people are trying to live up to society’s definition without considering if this is the best option for them. Everything is in constant change and flux. The red carpet will be laid out when you are honest, open, and flexible about what success truly means to you.

Ask others what success means, and you’re likely to hear variations of material definitions: fancy cars, big houses, beach homes, respectable corporate jobs, attractive spouses, and private school children. Those things are okay if they’re of your choosing. But if you take the time to think about it, your definition of success might be completely different.

Your authentic success might look like:

A person with the latter definitions would be miserable in the first scenario. If you’re not following your heart and intuition, you might accomplish something that doesn’t honestly give you joy or success in the bigger picture. Avoid disappointment by creating your custom definition of success!

The 6 Questions: Define Success Your Way

Question #1: What Legacy Do I Want to Leave?

Who do you want to remember you? How is your life contributing to future generations? Is it wealth and a vast business empire, or leaving the world a better place than you were born into? Is it essential to look back on a life full of adventures or accomplishments?

Take time to journal: Write about the impact you want to have on the world and the people you love.

Question #2: What Financial Resources Do I Want to Leave Behind?

Is a lot of money most important to you? How can you live a meaningful life without leaving debt, but rather memories to last a lifetime that inspire others to share prosperity in meaningful ways? What will you be proud to leave behind?

Reflect on: What does financial security mean to you beyond the number?

Question #3: What Are My Core Values?

Most people have a vague notion of what’s important, but few take time to think carefully about it. Pull out a piece of paper and list your values. A lifetime spent living your values will be fulfilling.

Common values to consider:

Family and relationships
Health and wellness
Creative expression
Helping others
Personal growth
Environmental stewardship
Adventure and exploration
Financial security

Question #4: What Do I Want to Do?

Make a list of all the things you want to see and do. List everything from hiking the Pacific Northwest Trail to living in Hawaii or becoming the first president of your hometown. How will you have wanted to spend your time, and with whom? Write it down and keep it in a safe place.

Question #5: What Type of Life Do I Want to Experience?

You might desire a conventional marriage and three children with a white picket fence in the suburbs. Or you might prefer living in a Manhattan condo by yourself enjoying nightlife for the first 20 years of adulthood. There is no right or wrong—only what’s right for you. Honor your authentic desires, not society’s expectations.

Question #6: What Will It Take for Me to Feel Successful?

Imagine various scenarios and determine what would make you feel successful. Is it living in a cabin in the woods with few possessions, surrounded by Nature, clean air, and earning a living as a freelance writer? Or living in a 15,000-square-foot penthouse within walking distance from restaurants and working for a corporation? Or living on a farmstead, stewarding land and growing food for your community?

Imagine various careers and lifestyles—which one feels like success to you? What if no one else would ever know? The idea of owning a Ferrari might feel like success, but what if no one else would ever know? Would you still feel successful? An ideal version of success does NOT involve the opinions of others.

Conclusion: Define Your Own Success

There is no universal definition of success. It’s important not to fall into the pressures of trying to impress your friends and family. Develop a meaningful version of success for you, regardless of any shallow societal values. You might find that your version of success is much more meaningful, more enjoyable, and more realistic to attain.

How do you define success? Your own definition will require you to like what you do and how you do it. Will you like the person you’ve become when you achieve your vision?

Your Call to Action

This week, answer Question #6 honestly—imagine your ideal successful life in vivid detail. Write it down. Then commit to taking one action that moves you toward that vision. Share in the comments: What does your ideal success look like? Let’s inspire each other to live authentically!

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