I have already thought about this question in my head as I analyze my life path so far as a 28 year old man. “What path to success is very similar?” This is a tricky question because gauging your own trajectory in life is hard to get by and there is no one size fits all method that can convincingly tell you when you've made it in life. I would venture to suggest that most of us, if not all, want to experience success in life. Dictionary of definitions for success: ((Merriam master: success ))
“degree or measure of success”, as well as “favorable or desired outcomes.” Seems simple enough, right?
However, I think that most people who contemplate this question are often not prepared for this ordeal that they will face while trying to find the right answer. Perhaps you have achieved some success in your life so far in your career, or some of your personal goals and dreams. For me, I think my biggest success so far has been finishing college and getting my bachelor's degree.
Where is the ceiling for success?
The most interesting thing about “the road to success” is that, there is always one more turn ahead for you to travel through. Consider someone like Bill Gates. Bill Gates founded Microsoft and is one of the richest people on the planet. By all means and measures, Bill Gates is the idea of success fully realized and more. He conquered all the mountains that he wanted to climb into his life. Bill Gates had a vision that few can grasp back when he founded Microsoft Corp. in 1975:((entrepreneur: Bill Gates ))
“Ultimately, the PC will be the window to everything people are interested in – and everything there is to know.” - Bill Gates
His work in computing has shifted into all the intricacies of our culture and this is reflected in the flourishing that we have seen in the IT industry as a whole. Microsoft and Bill Gates paved the way for Apple, Google, Amazon and more! Has it stopped working, now that it has achieved what no one has listed as success? No, at least now he is working even harder to bring about real change in the world!
Failure is part of the recipe for success
When considering the path to success, one must first understand that failure is part of the equation. It is through our failures and miscues that we have learned about life and the pursuit of improvement in this life. Every time we get knocked down by life circumstances, we have an important decision to make. You can choose to get up and keep trying, or give up and stay down and out. I think it's absolutely essential that you get comfortable if you ever decide that you want to seek "real" success. Why? After all, even professional Major League Baseball players have a perfect record when it comes to big swings. You can't get home-running every time you go to baht. But if you hold backhand, then home-runs will materialize over time! Then every failure will be something of value to the person who strives to walk down the road to success. This is not a failure, but an actionable lesson. Every time you miss a target, you have learned something important that will contribute to your next success.
I appreciate the grind
The next important aspect to consider when considering the path to success is not to simply focus on your goal during this entire pursuit process. You must also take the time and energy to enjoy the journey. “As is” is more than half the battle and if you are unhappy or unwilling to appreciate the result, then you will find complete joy in finally reaching your destination. Take the time to soak up the moments in your life as they happen; there are no guarantees in this world. Achieving success is not so much about a particular point in your life, but the grand collective whole of your pursuit, you accumulate victories and your success breeds further success. Whether you want to work up to your 45 or 75, you can't take this life for granted as it happens. I think the biggest mistake people make is to live beyond their means early in their lives which prevents them from having a healthy and enjoyable retirement or vice versa in that they spend too much time looking ahead and not enough time enjoying the moments in life as they pass by.
Success is a moving target
It is important to understand that your idea of what success will shift over time. When I got out of college, just getting some paid position with decent benefits was my idea of success. Now that I have been on a career for 4 or 5 years, my idea of success has changed over time. Now my dream is to become a more senior contributor within my role so that I can increase my cash flow, lower my expenses, and continue to grow my net worth over time. As you move forward in life, your dreams and ideas of success are bound to shift, ebb and flow with the movement of your momentum in life.
Balancing Your Approach to Success
There is a great balance where you can save and plan for the future, as well as enjoy the time you currently have and use it effectively to live a fuller life. Success is not just a dollar sign with lots of zeros behind it. This can be defined in many ways, and as an individual, you must decide that this definition is similar to you, and then attack life in a positive way to create an ideal reality. My personal purpose in life and how I define success will look unique and different from another person. For me, I want to become a “fire” at a relatively young age, perhaps in my early 50s, so I stop working in my career and start working towards something that I really enjoy. To the uninitiated, fire means “financially independent, retire.” It's a growing movement where people are prioritizing cost control, lifestyle inflation, and increased savings in order to have the financial flexibility to do what they want in life. Some people emphasize the "retire" part of the plan, while others are more concerned about the financial independence and flexibility that provides them. By /R/fire sub-Reddit:((Reddit: fire))
"Fire is a place for people who are or want to become financially independent."
I don't necessarily want to leave, but I need the flexibility to be able to choose if, at the moment, I feel so inclined. However, many think that this is an extreme plan and do not consider this their way to success. This is one of the best aspects of the definition of success is that, it is individual and the context of their lives. If you want more perspective on how to balance your life, take a look at these articles:
- Work to ditch the rest of life and accept the work life of harmony
- The Ultimate Guide to Prioritizing Work and Life
Stay on the move
One of the biggest problems that many have as they go down the road in pursuit of fortune is that they burn out over time. It can be so easy to start towards your goal with great passion and energy, but life often leads to demotivation and distraction. As someone chasing a particular goal, you need to keep that goal in mind and understand that as long as you take steps towards that success, even if they are small, you are still making progress. If you stop and allow yourself to stagnate, then you will quickly lose sight of that desire for success and may fall into patterns of behavior that do not match your dreams of success. This means that it is the key that you always stay on the move to achieve these goals. If you are not moving forward, then you are definitely moving in the opposite direction; and this is contrary to achieving the success you want to achieve! Find out here how to stay motivated and achieve big goals in life.
Give Yourself Out
As you continue to strive and create your own individual path to success in life, please take the time to appreciate what you have accomplished so far. Your accomplishments are important as the process unfolds, and they really are something to be proud of! If you do not give yourself credit for the progress you have made during this journey, then you may lose heart to continue and succeed. It can be satisfaction and a check to look back at where you came from, as well as balancing that against what you still have left to do. You must remember your victories and use it as fuel for your fire as you continue to move forward in your life. The road to success is long and tiring, but by remembering the journey and all that you have overcome, you will continue to build confidence and strength to go further than you ever dreamed of!
success for you
At the end of the day, success and how it looks is completely unique to the person thinking about such a topic. Determine internally what success looks like to you and behave accordingly within that framework that you have decided upon. If you never feel what success looks like, then chances are that you won't fall into success. To be successful you need pre-mediation and thought. It takes the risk, the daring, and sometimes the urgency of acting at the moment of the longer-term payoff from your work or energy. It never comes easily and it never comes without sacrifice. With diligence, pride, diligence and a serious attitude to work, it can be achieved by anyone and this is one of the most exciting elements of the idea of success! It is indeed achievable for those who are willing to infuse into their desire to achieve the goal.
We pay your card
The best part about striving for success? You will get the opportunity to draw your own map. The beautiful thing about success is that every day, someone builds new roads and achieves the same goal of success without following in the footsteps of someone else. Given the fact that there are almost endless ways to achieve success, it's up to you to create your own personal plan to get a place in life. It can be a liberating concept, as it means that you don't have to be raised in a certain class of society, or go to a particular school or a particular job, in order to succeed. Your path can be brand new and never step on before and still lead you to your final destination. Success is on the horizon. Will you chase after her?
More for success
- 19 Definitions of Success You Should Never Ignore
- Pave your way to success with these 7 golden rules
- 15 Highly Successful People Who Succeeded on the Path to Success