Definition of a Successful Life – Its Meaning Depends on Your Interpretation of Success

Success is the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines success as "the fact of getting or achieving wealth, respect or fame."

The definition of a successful life can mean:

* Achieving financial security where you live in an upscale community, own fancy cars, buy virtually any possession you desire, and go on unlimited vacations.

* Working in a highly respected field.

* Enjoying status in the community.

* Being your own boss and running a thriving business.

* Sharing loving relationships and friendships.

* Feeling that tingle of excitement about what you do.

* Bringing value to your customers, clients, and co-workers.

* Making a difference in people's lives.

* Having a sense of well-being, balance, and purpose in your life.

* Experiencing laughter throughout each day and finding happiness whenever possible.

* A feeling of peace that comes from honoring your ideals and values.

* A feeling of belonging and connectedness with others who share similar values.

* Overcoming adverse circumstances, coming out stronger on the other side.

* Possessing high self-esteem and self-worth.

* A feeling of optimal health and well-being.

* Having enough and being grateful for it.

* Embracing unwavering faith and having a strong, close relationship with God.

* Taking care of yourself physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. (These aims are within our Holistic Strong mission.)

The Unique Definition of a Successful Life can Only be Seen Through the Individual's Lens

As you can see from the above list, success is a subjective concept, and each individual perceives it in his or her own way based on his or her personal experience.

For example, for an entrepreneur, success may be the ability to take risks and start something new.

A parent may think of success as raising children who managed to overcome struggles, live an honest life, work hard and achieve their goals. 

A devout person may find success in a loving connection with God.

Someone health-conscious may perceive success as living a healthy lifestyle and attaining optimal health.

There is no one definition of success because it’s very personal.

People can equate success to their financial situation, where they live, what they drive, the level of education that they have, and/or the status that they have in the community.

On another plane, success is the stardust of your glorious brain. A feeling that comes and goes. Hard to hold on to and even harder to define.

Success is the aim in the backyard with a tree as the target.

Success is the seed you plant in a garden for future growth.

It may simply be the soft embrace you share with a loved one.

The paths to success are myriad, and the destination varies for all of us.

Ultimately, you must define your own version of success.

Humbly, I will now list my essential ingredients that comprise success in life.

Love is Success

A growing body of research strongly suggests that the more social relationships you have — and the wider your social networks — the happier you are and the more likely you will live a long, healthy life.

Love can shape a successful life. It is what gives our lives meaning. Love is what gives us purpose in life.

We seek out loving relationships and friendships in order to feel fulfilled. In fact, we are born with an innate need for love because it is so important to our survival and well-being.

A loving relationship gives us a reason to get up in the morning and work toward something greater than ourselves.

Don Williams’ song “One Good Well” brings into focus how important love is in our lives. (Feel free to listen to his words of wisdom below.)

The song portrays the need for love as a necessary and vital part of life. Glean the meaning behind the lyrics in light of modern society, where money is an overarching focus.

Williams speculates that with all of these wealthy individuals constantly striving to accumulate more and more wealth, they never seem satisfied with what they already have and instead continue their search for more.

He believes that people would do well to pay closer attention to the message of this song and learn from it: that all you truly need to be successful is one good well, filled with deep and ever flowing love.

Love as a form of sustenance, protection, and success strikes a responsive chord within me. 

Happiness as a Measure of Success in Life

Success is measured by a number of different factors. Some people define success as the amount of money they have in their bank accounts or the number of cars sitting on their driveways.

Others might measure success by the way others perceive them.

Few individuals, however, measure success as the amount of happiness they have in their lives.

For many people, happiness is a luxury that is only reserved for those who are well-off financially.

This simply isn't true; happiness is a state of mind that can be achieved regardless of financial status.

People who have a great life balance and work-life balance are usually happy. They may not have the most money or fame, but they do have their families and loved ones at their side.

If you’re working long hours to afford the house on the hill, the fancy car, and trips around the world, then true success may be compromised because you have precious little time to enjoy them.

Happiness is an emotion that we discover inside our own selves as human beings.

An object may be deemed "successful" f it succeeds at what it was created to do.

A television is a success if it displays images of the world for us. A knife is a success if it cuts through tough substances.

A human being is a success in life if he or she finds a way to be happy with whatever life happens to bring his or her way.

A person who knows how to find happiness in all sorts of situations, both positive and negative, is a success in life because they know how to feel good despite the bad things that happen to them.

Living with Purpose, Making a Difference in Others' Lives 

Living a meaningful life with a purpose, making a difference in other people’s lives and having an impact on society is a benchmark of true success, in my estimation.

Sometimes I wonder what will happen when I am gone. Have I made a difference in my life?

Will my efforts matter? Will I be remembered? What kind of legacy will I leave behind?

These thoughts are constantly swirling around my mind.

I'm inspired by those who just want to come to the aid of others.

From helping a visually impaired person cross the street, to volunteering in any capacity, or even helping someone out who is having car trouble, these are all ways we can make a difference in another person’s life.

When we do things like this, it makes us feel good inside because we know that we are making someone else’s day just a little better than it was before we helped them out.

This kind of fulfillment cannot be matched in any other way. The feeling you get inside when you do something good for someone else is almost indescribable.

Self-Esteem and Self-Worth as a Success in Life Barometer

I truly believe that one of the most important factors in living a successful life has to do with self-worth. I don't see how you can be successful if you don't value yourself.

I have witnessed many people who seem to be very successful by all standards, but they are miserable inside. They do not like themselves, and they do not feel worthy of love.

It's impossible to be happy without a strong sense of self-worth. It is very difficult to achieve success without feeling good about yourself.

The power of self-confidence can give you a competitive edge over others and make you feel like an unstoppable force.

It's necessary for each individual to make himself or herself his or her own number one priority. This does not mean being selfish; it just means that you need to take care of yourself before you can take care of anyone else.

You cannot give what you do not have, so if you are empty inside, there is no way that you can fill someone else up.

You should absolutely focus on your goals; but I think it is also very important to develop a strong sense of self-worth so that you can be proud of who you are and what you accomplish in life.

Successful Living Through Holistic Balance

Success is a holistic balance of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being. For example, if you're exhausted from pulling late nights and burning the candle at both ends, your body will begin to shut down.

If you don't manage your stress levels and you're constantly worried about work and finances, that can lead to anxiety and depression.

Or if you neglect your relationships with your friends and family, you'll feel lonely and isolated from those that care about you.

A holistic approach to success means taking care of all four aspects of who you are:

Physical — Your body is the only vehicle that will get you through this life. Make sure it’s healthy. Get enough sleep. Eat right. Exercise regularly.

Emotional — It’s important to understand feelings as they come up and learn how to manage them, so they don’t take over your life.

Mental — Your mind is your most powerful tool in life. Educate yourself. Explore new ideas. Challenge assumptions. Learn new things every day!

Spiritual - Being spiritual doesn't necessarily mean believing in God or a higher power. But finding something greater than yourself can give meaning and purpose to your life!

How to Find Out Your Definition of Success

To find your own personal definition of a successful life, you must first decide what success means to you. You cannot create a successful life based on another person’s definition of success.

Your definition of success will be as unique as your fingerprints, so you must take the time to explore what it means to YOU.

Here are some methods to help you discover your definition of success:

Write about your thoughts, feelings, everything ... including your dreams - Spend time thinking about what you want out of life and write it down. Writing things down solidifies them in our minds and helps us focus on them more clearly.

Create a vision board - This is a collage of images that represents what you want out of life. It can contain images cut from magazines or printed from the Internet that represent what you want.

By making this image visible every day, you can focus on it and begin to build a life full of all that makes you happy and fulfilled.

Imagine your perfect day - Imagine waking up tomorrow morning and everything in your life was exactly the way you wanted it

Questions to Ask for Self-Discovery and Achieving Success

Success is defined as the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. This raises the question, "What is the aim or purpose of my life?"

Until you know what your aim or purpose is, how do you expect to accomplish it?

Here are some questions to ask yourself:

1. What do I enjoy doing?

2. What comes naturally to me?

3. What do I get complimented on most?

4. What do I spend most of my time doing?

5. What do I want to be remembered for when I'm gone?

6. What would I like to be doing five years from now? Ten years from now? Twenty years from now? Thirty years from now? Forty years from now? Fifty years from now?

7. What makes me happy and gives me a sense of satisfaction and well-being?

8. What would I love to have or do if money were no object?

You will soon be in a position to attain success (at least what success means to you) when you figure out the answers to these questions.

What if Other People Don't Think You're Successful?

You can't really control what other people think about you.

The only thing you can control is how you see yourself and how you live your life.

You can change yourself and your life any way you want.

If you are happy with who you are, then there's absolutely no reason to care what other people think about you. And if someone doesn't like that, then they take ownership of this "problem."

In fact, the whole idea of caring what other people think of us is a recipe for misery.

In the end, it's about whether we're satisfied with ourselves and our lives. Nothing else matters.

Embrace your individuality rather than trying in vain to fit into a mold that has been created by other people.

Live by your success standards and terms and don't deviate from them to please and impress others.

What if You Don't Think You're Successful?

If you don't believe you're a success, or if you have difficulty believing in your own success, it is most likely that you have an idea of what success means to you and you are comparing yourself to this ideal.

The first thing to do is to re-evaluate what is meant by the word successful.

For example, if you think that successful people have a lot of money and lots of material possessions, then think about whether this kind of success really appeals to you.

Perhaps you could define a successful life as having a wonderful family life, doing interesting volunteer work, or having lots of close friends.

If it is not possible for you to change your definition of success, then consider changes in your life that would help you realize what being successful means in the way that you have defined it.

If so, make those changes.

The truth is that most successful people have experienced their own fair share of failures and rejections along the way. And they'll probably tell you that their successes have come at a cost, too.

So don't let anybody else tell you what success looks like. If you want something better for yourself, then do something about it. Learn from your mistakes, fail faster, and try again if it's important enough to you.

Definition of Success - Final Words

Success is a subjective notion, if there ever was one. But for simplicity’s sake, let’s assume the higher you are on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the better you’re doing.

So, what do people in touch with their inner selves’ desire?

You only have the answer for yourself. I can only speculate what most people consider success.

Earlier, I shared the components of my definition of success.

Although not on the top of my list, admittedly, I want to earn enough money to meet necessities, and dare I say, to afford some luxuries.

But financial success is a small part of the big picture, if we’re willing to look at the big picture.

Success is not a destination, but the road that you’re on.

It's not about being the best; it’s about being better than you used to be.

It’s not about what you have, but rather what you’re grateful for and appreciate. 

May you enjoy the journey on your personal road to success and reach it on your terms.