What's Success?

I've been thinking about the definition of success lately. For some, it's a fancy car. (I saw one of these puppies idling through my town at about 25mph - as fast as the law allows. Boy, talk about restraint!) Others see success as a great place to live. But things like these aren't success - they're just the RESULT of success. And what's important to realize is that that's a matter of personal choice. Because for others, success is being able to take a mid-day walk in the woods or playing with a pile of puppies or spending real quality time with their family and loved ones.

It's perhaps interesting to note how people's definition of success changes over time. As we grow older and move through different parts of our lives, we do redefine what's really important to us. And I believe that it's a really important thing for us to do. Well maybe not every second. And maybe not at first. Because at first, we just want to BECOME successful. Then once that's covered, we want to SUSTAIN our success. But then what? Well, that's when it's time to REDEFINE - or at least AUGMENT - what success really means to us. Yet for a variety of reasons, too few people actually do this.

How about you? When's the last time YOU looked at how you're defining success? Is it still working for you? What's missing? What's no longer necessary? What's next for you? And what are you waiting for?