On Defining Success

I think a lot of times throughout our lives, we will be asked to define success and what it means to us, but I think the most important way you can define success is in little triumphs. When you get a job, that is success; when you pass a test, that is success; when you finish a project, and so on. These are the successes that have to come first in order to reach any further line of succession, and yet we dismiss them as merely part of the process. But I think that if you start to believe that you are achieving success as you continue to work towards it, it is exactly that self-acknowledgment and affirmation that will allow you to keep achieving it. When we view success as this far out end goal, no matter what that goal or definition looks like to us, we will get so tripped up by all the little detours and unexpected turns, and likely, we will never truly be satisfied with an end result, either. So, yes. I think we should celebrate everything—at least within ourselves—and consider every step we take towards the success we want as us actively being successful. Every motivational speech you ever listen to will talk about the importance of intention and in living your life as if you’re already where you want to be, so I think having this definition of success is one of the best ways you can do that.