One of the first things that I learned on my coaching course was around how you define success.
Money
For some people, success is defined by how much money they or someone else has. The more you or they have, the more successful they must be.
However, when you think about it, we all start from a different place and that is not an even playground. Some people will start life in abject poverty, with all the obstacles to overcome that this entails, whereas someone else may be born into great wealth, never having to work or earn what they have but still being able to buy what they want when they want it.
Who is the more successful person? The one who started out poor and finished with a home that they could call their own, or the person who started life with everything, contributed nothing and was still wealthy?
So, if money is not the best way to judge success, then how about fame?
Fame
Is success defined by how famous someone is? Are you more successful because people know your name?
When you take a look at some people who are famous, think about what they are famous for. Mother Teresa was famous for being kind, living in poverty and is now a saint, whereas there are some people who have appeared on tv, and become famous for being famous, are they successful? Or maybe success is about achievements…
Achievements
When you look at success in terms of achievements, then take a look at Donald Trump. He has several businesses, had his own tv programme and is now President of the US. By any measurement, he has achieved a lot in his lifetime. For many people, he is the epitome of success.
So let’s look deeper. On his Wikipedia page, it states that he took over his father’s real estate business, has been bankrupt 6 times, divorced, accused of sexual misconduct several times and there continue to be efforts to impeach him. It appears that he takes credit for things that go well and blames others when things don’t. So are achievements a way to judge success?
Choosing your own definition of success
So, if money, fame and achievements are not always a good measure of success, then what is?
As an author, it’s up to you to choose how you measure your success.
It may be by the number of books you sell, whether you get into the bestsellers lists, the amount of money you make or by being recognised on the street. It may be that just publishing your book is a success in of itself.
The thing is, you get to decide. So when you choose your definition, think carefully about how you define success for yourself, and set out to be that person.
So, how do I define success?
For me, when it comes to books, the shear joy of creating them is enough, so to get paid for doing it is a blessing. But, I also judge my success by the amount of people I’ve been able to help. I do this is a number of ways:
- through my free challenge
- with a phone or zoom call
- by offering free book template
- by a word of encouragement
- by a kind act such as supporting an entrepreneur via kiva.
I hope that you found this useful
Take care for now…
Karen x
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Don’t forget if you’d like some help getting started, then you can schedule a call with me via bit.ly/coffee-with-Karen, or message me via my Facebook page.
Either way, I’d love to hear from you.