What is Success?

Have you ever been asked a question pertaining to your definition of success? If so, do you give an answer people expect to hear? Do you feel good after you give your answer or do you think you compromise who you are to please others? I want you to be completely honest with yourself.

The first time I came across the success question was during high school. From there on out, it emerged consistently. Each time I heard someone else answer this type of question, all I could think is "Why?!?" Why would someone give a cookie cutter answer? Is it to please everyone else? Was there nothing better to say? Did the people look up their answers online? Why can't anyone be original?!?

To put things into perspective, these are the types of answers that were most common:
-"My definition of success is getting back on the horse one more time than I fall."
-"When I think about success, I think about the mistakes I made in the past and have learned from them. Then, I used the lessons I learned along the way to become a better person, which has shaped my perspective on what success looks like."
-"Success means living life to its fullest. If I live a good life and surround myself with positive, uplifting people, then I have achieved success."

The examples I gave above could be true for some. If it is your true definition of success, then who am I to say what's right or wrong? All I am saying is that if you want to be successful in life, you have to be honest with yourself and define your own meaning.

Here's what I want you to do: develop your own meaning of success. When you develop your own meaning, think about the following questions:
-What do you want to accomplish professionally and personally?
-What is your driving force each day?
-What or who makes you proud?
-What inspires you to keep pushing each day?

If you can be honest with yourself, then your definition of success will come naturally. It is not something that needs to be looked up online, read from a book, or uttered from someone else's mouth. It is your authentic definition that cannot be replicated. At the end of the day, ask yourself this question: Would you rather be a carbon copy or the original? After you answer it, determine how your answer can shape what success is to you.