How you define success has a lot to do with how successful you feel. If your definition doesn't match your values then success and satisfaction will not come together.
Most people define success in terms of money and possessions. Material things are great, but, if you’re looking for happiness and fulfillment they won’t automatically come with money.
Money can’t buy happiness. Poverty can’t deliver it either. The extent to which you feel satisfied in your life has more to do with your values. What matters to you most makes you fulfilled.
A value is an idea. Wealth may be one of your values. Happiness, satisfaction, fulfillment, may also be values for you. All these values are distinct. Wealth doesn’t always lead to happiness any more than happiness always leads to wealth.
We need our values to feel good, both consciously and unconsciously, and to get the most out of life. This is where wealth gets tricky. Values are general. There is always more to have when we make material things too important.
The best way to find balance is to have some values that are not material. If you want happiness, it needs to be near the top of your list.
If you feel like you want more peace, satisfaction, or fulfillment in your life, you need to focus less on wanting what others have.
Challenge your status quo by listing everything that is most important to you. What are the things that make you feel successful? Be honest. If you discover things you don’t like you can always change them.
Once you have a list of 10 to 15 items, stop. Take a look at your success values. This exercise has shown you how you define success. In future posts we’ll discover what to do with this list to make your values work for you.
Are you surprised by something that you discovered when you listed your success values? I’d love to hear why, or why not.
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