Success on your own terms

Have you determined your own definition of success? If you have, that to me is the first step toward success. Defining your own success can be more challenging than following a cookie-cutter path. However, it's also more rewarding.

You will need to develop your own roadmap to defining success for yourself. I have developed some principles that help guide me as I continue on my journey. There are two dominant principles that keep me focused.

The first principle: To thine own self be true. Translated, this means forgetting about keeping up with the Joneses. The truth is, no one knows what the Joneses are doing or how well the Joneses are doing. We all know the saying; the grass looks greener on the other side. It may look greener because we may be wearing "rose-color" glasses. The same may be true of the Joneses. They may look successful, but are they? If you gauge your success by the successful appearance of others, you may be heading down the wrong path. Instead of looking outside yourself, what you first need to do is go inward and search your heart and soul. You yourself have the ability to determine what things are important in your life. Once you have done that, you are on your way to defining success.

The second principle: acknowledge that there is no such thing as having it all. I don’t know when we first were told that we could have it all and many of us are still trying. You’ll kill yourself attempting to achieve an impossible goal. Life is about setting priorities and making choices based on your belief system.

Success on my own terms means doing the work I love, enjoying life, meeting new people, pursuing new goals and committing myself to causes…most of all it means being true to myself, for this is the only life I have and I want to have it my way.

by LILLIAN LAMBERT