Don't Let Others Define Your Success

We all want to be successful at what we do. That's great, and I think by striving for success we achieve some incredible goals through some serious hard work and dedication. I can't think of an interview with a successful person that includes the phrase, "Yea, I started out by wanting to do something people would think was 'pretty decent'." No, you have to want to change the world, and leave a mark to even have a chance at being successful.

Or do you? 

It depends. All too often we let others define what success means to us.

How many subscribers does your website have? How many copies of your latest album have you sold?  How many different countries have you visited? How many clients have you helped?

These are all good questions to ask, as they are quantifiable ways of assessing our progress towards our goals. But what number do you have to hit to be 'successful'? If you sell 100 copies of your album, are you successful? How about 1,000? 10,000?

Only you can answer that question, and that has to be based on goals set by yourself. Maybe it's not how many albums you sold, but rather the reviews it received. Or maybe it was just the act of finishing an album that was your goal, and any sales you have afterwards are a bonus.

The way you approach your goals will be dictated by what you want for your success. If you want to sell 100 copies and get as many positive reviews as possible, you're going to go about marketing very differently than if you want to sell 10,000 copies and get the maximum profit.

By defining success for ourselves, and not letting others determine it, we can actually grow to feel accomplished by our activities. Otherwise, we're reaching for a satisfaction that will never come. Because no matter how 'successful' you are in someone's eyes, you'll never be truly happy if you don't consider yourself a success.

How do you define success?

 - Ryan