Are you content? Are you happy? Is that enough? Will success make you happy and/or will happiness bring you success?
There is so much talk about the need to constantly strive for success and yet the concept of success is different for every single one of us. In my experience, and as a coach, I have found that all too often people define their success by comparing themselves to others rather than looking inside and understanding what is really important to them.
Success might manifest itself to you in many different ways:
- Material (money, possessions,)
- Professional (promotion, respect)
- intellectual (knowledge, qualifications)
- Physical (health, fitness)
- Emotional (love, happiness)
- Environmental (comfort, location)
- Business growth (profits, income)
- Altruism (supporting others, charity)
- ….. and more
Success doesn’t have to be about achieving a massive milestone – only you know what it looks like.
Working through the following questions may help you to think about what success looks like for you and what you will do to go about achieving it.
- What is your aspiration/goal? What do you want to change? You own your future – don’t allow yourself to be driven by other people’s dreams.
- What does your success look/feel like? Take time to draw a mental picture of yourself once you have achieved your success – What does it look like?, what are you doing?, what are you wearing?, where are you living?, who are you with?, what does it feel like? Capture that picture in a way that will resonate with you and keep you inspired. Review it regularly.
- Why do you want to do it?
- Why is it important to you?
- What will be the impact of nothing changing?
- How does it fit with your personal values?
- What will be the impact on you and others?
- What needs to happen for you to get started on that journey? Don’t try and do it all at once. Break it into manageable chunks. Develop a plan and write it down with realistic milestones.
- What support do you need? Who can help? Friends, family, a mentor or a coach?
- What opportunities and options are open to you? Think outside the box!
- What is the worst that could happen? Don’t stall yourself by worrying about failure – Every step both forward and back is part of the learning curve.
- What is the first step that you need to take? –Take action – Don’t wait for 100% before you start. It is not the will to win but the courage to begin!
- How will you monitor progress? Look back often, reflect on and celebrate progress, give yourself a a reality check. If you can’t change the direction of the wind, you might need to adjust your sails!
- How will you know when you have achieved your success? How will you celebrate?
- Has it changed? Repeat……..
I wish you every success – Whatever that looks like to you!
For me, success is when a client has defined their goals, figured out what they need to do to make them happen and then committed to action. My coaching while walking sessions create the space for constructive and creative thinking as well as bringing the benefits of being away from the paraphernalia of your usual environment and out in the fresh air. If you would like a free initial chat to see if coaching with me can help you towards success, contact me here.
I also facilitate a monthly Walk while you Work on your Business. A great way to meet and get to know other business owners and to share challenges, thoughts and successes. We all have different experiences, connections and perspectives that might help others and there is always a warm feeling of being supported as well as supporting others during our walks. More information is available here.
Top image courtesy of Vlado at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
