How Do You Define Success?

“Success is not something you achieve, Success is something you live” Diane Dutton, 2007

Yes, I am quoting myself here, but the bigger question (bigger than how vain to quote yourself!), is “do you understand what this statement means?”

After all aren’t we taught to succeed? You must have goals. Success is out there, just go get it. Or, here is a favorite of mine, “Once I am successful, then I will be happy”.

So it appears that success occurs at a point in time followed by everyone taking your picture and putting out a press release that says “You are declared to be successful”.

Certainly we would like to think that we can point to that moment in time when “Success is Declared”.

Think about a horse race or the Super Bowl. When the winning horse crosses the finish line, that horse is successful at that moment in time. He is the winner and every other horse is just second best, at best. With the Super Bowl only one team can have the most points at the end of the game, get the parade, bring home the trophy and go to Disneyland.

So, we declare them a “Success”. If we dig a little deeper we face the question – is that really success? What about tomorrow? What about the next horse race? What about next season? How fleeting is that one moment in time, that split second of victory. As we dissect the disappointment of the “morning after” we realize something profound. We realize that success, if we isolate it to the achievement of a specific goal, will be fleeting at best and the feeling of exhilaration and passion will disappear seconds after it is experienced.

Now, let’s contrast that with living a successful life. Picture this in your mind: you wake up on a crisp morning. You don’t need an alarm clock because the morning sun creeps slowly into your room through your bay window that overlooks the ocean. You awaken to your five minutes of visualization. You visualize your goals and plan for the day ahead as you choose to make it the best day ever! You sit up and quietly say “thank you” as you appreciate all the good in your life, the people, the experiences, the talents you have been given by your creator and the ever expanding creative flow you will bring to your day.

You believe that you are living a successful life. Your spiritual, physical, relational, intellectual and financial self all work in harmony to bring the fullest possibilities to every day. No longer is success the fleeting achievement of one goal or one moment in time. Success is a daily feeling, belief and outcome of your attitude and actions.

Live doesn’t happen to you, so how can success happen to you? How can you go out and get success, success comes from a strength and faith from within you. Life is your fullest expression of every breath, every move, every thought and every word.

If you live success it will be a part of who you are. Can you live success? I believe you can. I hope you live success and share it with those you care about every day.

Have you ever thought past getting a goal and actually living a successful life? This is the chance to look at success a little closer.

Diane Dutton, MBA, CPA, Speaker, Business Strategy Consultant and author of "A Woman's Ladder To Succes Is Paved With Broken Glass Ceilings", available at Amazon.com. For more information on this and the other factors facing your career decisions, read the rest of the story at http://www.businesswomenspeak.com , write to me at ddutton@businesswomenspeak.com.

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