Defining success is completely personal to your goals, dreams, and desires

There are probably some things that come to your mind when you think about defining success. 

Financial freedom, fulfillment, happiness, satisfaction… just to name a few. 

These indicators have been shaped and formed by what society deems as important — a lot of money, a great job, a big family.

And, while these overarching ideas are great to dream of and aspire to reach, when we dive deep into what success actually means, it can be drastically different for each person. 

For example, having a huge family might be an indicator of success for some people, while others may prefer to not have any children at all. 

Some people might want to work to live, while others want to pursue a career that fuels their passions. 

Because here’s the deal — success does not come in a one-size-fits-all. 

And, your vision of success will most likely change as you move through life!

If you are starting out as a nutrition coach, your idea of succeeding probably means finally pursuing a career that fulfills you and makes you feel alive. 

You may be only worried about actually helping people transform their lives and take control of their health. 

But, as time moves on, defining success in your business may change. 

You may start to have bigger financial goals, or maybe you will want to release new products and reach a larger market. The most important thing is that you are consistently asking yourself one question:

What does success look like to me?

It is crucial to work on defining success in your own terms.

Maybe you aren’t sure what success means to you. 

Or, maybe you have an idea of what you want your life to look like, but you’re afraid to take the next step because you might fail. 

There are some people who only ever dream of defining success in their own terms, fantasizing over what their lives could look like, thinking, “That should be me!”

But, you have to understand that if you don’t define success, someone else will define it for you. 

Which will lead to a life of you chasing someone else’s dreams and goals while you are stuck feeling tired, unhappy, and without any direction on what to do next — except keep working.

Now, there are many different definitions of success, and if you aren’t sure where to start, maybe one of these will spark a fire in you. 

“What is success? It is being able to go to bed each night with your soul at peace.” —Paulo Coelho

“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” —Maya Angelou

“Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” —Winston Churchill

But, even those can be extremely broad! 

Start here when mapping out your vision of success

Understanding what you are actually hoping to get out of your life is a great starting point to know what you want to achieve. 

With that being said, ask yourself the following questions when working on defining success in your personal and professional life. 

• What makes you feel most alive?
• What gives you the greatest sense of fulfillment and meaning?
• What is non-negotiable for you?
• What do you want your life to stand for?
• What do you care deeply about?
• If you could put one idea or message on a billboard for the world to see, what would it be?
• If you left your body tomorrow, what would you regret?

Consider your values, beliefs, wants, dreams, and desires. These things will help you set boundaries for yourself and give you a clear path on how to achieve your goals. 

Keep in mind that even though your idea of success might include other people — like having a spouse or raising kids — you have to think of what YOU want out of your life, not what anybody else wants! 

It is okay if the people around you had other plans for what they thought your life would look like. That doesn’t matter! At the end of the day, you only need to feel successful in your own life and on your own terms. 

And, learn to adapt to what success looks like as you move through life. We touched on this earlier, but your vision of achievement will most likely evolve and grow as time moves forward. It’s okay to change your mind on what you were hoping to do or be. 

Defining success comes down to being intentional about your life

You must be intentional about what you want to create in your life and what success looks like to you.

And… you must not apologize for it!

Stop dreaming about defining success and make this the year you actually have it.

Life is too short to keep moving through feeling unfulfilled and living someone else’s dream.

If you’re ready to live the most inspired, productive, and intentional life possible, head here to learn more about our modern-day coaching certification.