How Do You Define Success?
What Does Success Mean to You? What About for Others?
Success means different things to different people.
“Successful” to one person may mean lifting themselves out of poverty.
To another, it may mean working for a Fortune 500 company.
And for some, it may mean having their own company/business and being their own boss.
Or perhaps “success” means having a purpose or being happy regardless of money and status.
People define success differently. It may be about financial success or prestige. Or it may be about having a purpose or happiness. Just because someone aims to be an executive in a big company, it doesn’t mean that’s necessary considered “success” to other professionals. Perhaps you would rather have your own business, no matter the size, and love being an entrepreneur and growing your company.
Some people might think success means being rich and having millions of dollars. We tend to put a monetary value on success, especially in America, but in other parts of the world, success may mean being a valuable, contributing member of the society in ways other than money.
I’ve personally been thinking a lot about this. Having worked with people across all income levels, job titles and various socioeconomic factors, I’ve come to realize that how YOU define success is ultimately what matters.
For me, success is…
I am very ambitious and I’ve come to realize that no matter how much money I make working in corporate, I would not be happy unless I truly believed in the company’s products and mission. I also like to be independent and focus on growth, and working for big companies might give you the satisfaction of name recognition when you introduce yourself at networking events, but the contribution seems to be inconsequential sometimes. I like to focus on growth. I want to see results of my efforts, and I love being hands-on.
I respect that for some people, entrepreneurship is not of interest. They would rather climb the corporate ladder and be an executive in a company whose brand everyone recognizes. I get it. I thought I wanted that too when I began my professional journey; but over the years, I’ve seen way too many executives being unhappy, unfulfilled and even worse, complacent. On the other hand, I have seen professionals who dared to risk their stable jobs to start a new venture or a new business. While their company or business may not grant instant name recognition, they are financially stable, happy and can be their own bosses on their own schedule and terms.
I also realized that transparency is what I desire in the work environment and that is extremely difficult for large organizations. Therefore, I decided that having a growth-focused role is what suits me the best.
I am still figuring things out, but I recognize what I don’t want.
Success in marketing and business development
Let’s think about “success” in terms of business development and marketing. I often think about this when it comes to what I do. The ROI of marketing can be tough to explain sometimes, but how I define success is marketing’s contribution to company revenue and profitability. For growth-focused companies, branding comes naturally as long as the product is good. I believe that “success” in marketing is telling a story about the product and providing value to the customers and turning prospects into opportunities. “Brand awareness” or “# of impressions” don’t mean much unless they are “converted” i.e. they become customers. Too many organizations use # of meetings, # of impressions and engagement to measure their marketing progress in their scorecard; however, these aren’t enough to succeed. Some industries are structured in a way in which # of hours they bill to the clients bring in a lot of revenue to the companies; however, that doesn’t necessarily mean they are adding value to the clients. They can do the same thing over and over without being creative or innovative about the way they approach the projects. I am not sure if this is “successful” business development.
Furthermore, when I see a lot of marketing professionals working for well-established, well-known companies. I feel half of their job is already done and easy since the brand is prominent. I am not sure if I would ever know if I am truly a good marketer. Unless I am in a growth marketing role, I just don’t know how I would feel about being a successful marketer. Not only that, what is the ultimate success for marketers? Think about that… is it the Chief title? VP? or to have successful projects and results you can be proud of that contribute to the company’s profitability?
Success is not just about money or career…
Perhaps success has nothing to do with your career for some. It could be about your family. Success may mean being a good parent or a good sibling, friend and so forth. Having a tight knit of close friends and community might make you a successful person in that you’ve come to form such tight relationships in life you can rely on and trust. Success might also mean overcoming hardships and still be a good person.
Find your own path to success
You know the old saying, comparison is the thief of joy. You do you. Don’t compare your life journey with someone’s highlights you see on social media. They might appear to be successful, but that might not be what you want at all. It doesn’t mean you should downplay their accomplishments. Learn to accept that everyone’s idea of success is different and what might be enough for them might not be enough for you and vice versa. What’s more, what they have may not be what you want and need in life.
Final thoughts…
I want you to think about who you admire in life. What about their lives and accomplishments do you most respect and admire? That is a good place to start.
Then, think about what would truly make you feel you succeeded in life.
There is not uniform formula for this. Figure out what you want to do and what would truly make you feel that you “made it”.
I picture myself many (many) years from now singing “My Way” retired somewhere in Italy or France and being happy knowing I did it my way. I want to live and succeed on my own terms. Yes, that means making enough money to never have to worry about money. Yes, that means taking a good care of my family. Yes, that means having a successful professional journey that I am proud of. Yes, that means having a close circle of friends and family for life. And finally, yes, that means being happy for others’ success and grateful for my own success.
