What is Success to You?

Success is defined in many ways. The website Dictionary.com defines success as: the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors; the accomplishment of one’s goals; the attainment of wealth, position, honors, or the like.

Here are a number of other definitions.

• “Success is really doing what you love and doing it well.” – Warren Buffett
• “We’ve got to put a lot of money into changing behavior.” – Bill Gates
• “Love what you are doing. Believe in your product. Select good people.” – Mrs. Fields
• “Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit.” – Conrad Hilton
• “Success is 90% failure.” – Soichiro Honda
• “Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.” – Abraham Lincoln
• “Think tomorrow. Make today’s efforts pay off tomorrow. Free the imagination. You are capable of more than you can imagine, so imagine the ultimate. Strive for lasting quality. “Good enough” never is. Have “stick-to-it-ivity.” Never, never, never, give up.” – Walt Disney
• “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you.” – Jesus

What is your definition of success?

My definition of success is finding out what matters most and living the most of what really matters. This speaks to core values. We all have core values that steer our daily decisions … and whether or not you have defined yours, they are reflected in how you spend your time and money. Many people have not taken the time to decide what they value. Rather, what they value changes with how they feel that day, what’s going on around them, or a variety of other external influences that steer their decisions.

As a leader, I encourage you to intentionally define a set of core values you live by. Living a Core Values based life is a way of living a “What Matters Most” lifestyle. Core values establish your character … the person you are when nobody else is looking. The “real” you is based on what is REALLY important to you. When you intentionally establish written values and then align your daily decisions with them, you will attract people, places, and things you value most.

So, success, in its truest sense, is measured by what you value. And, the barometer of success is the alignment between your core values and daily decisions. To achieve success, you have to know what you value and use your core values to aid you in making daily decisions!

Have you taken the time to define your core values?  If you need some guidance, refer to chapter 5 in my book, “Your Divine Fingerprint.”