Many of us view academic results and earning potential as important markers and measures of success, but they are only one part of a multifaceted picture. In reality, success has many faces.
Many of us are influenced and guided by other people’s hopes, dreams, and aspirations, which encourages us to follow their goal of what success looks like. They may have missed out on a college education, have unfulfilled dreams of pursuing a professional career such as becoming a doctor or accountant, and want their loved ones to succeed where they failed. But living someone else’s dreams can be a lonely and unfulfilling experience, one that generates very little enthusiasm to sustain it.
Successfully learning a service or trade can open the doors to an amazing career. Offering a cleaning service, home repair, gardening, odd jobs, a janitorial business will require varied qualifications and records, but these are areas of significant demand and potential growth. Customers clamor to engage with good service providers.
Or starting small, perhaps with a multi-level marketing initiative, can be a great step for someone who hasn’t worked for a while or who needs to balance the many demands of their personal life. Hopefully doing this allows them to receive training as they learn and grow their business.
In those situations, success may be committing to regular training, gaining the confidence to talk to people, even when some are strangers, learning to professionally present themselves and their products or services. Developing your own business model, where the goal is ultimately to work hours to adapt and set your own goals, with the option to be flexible, can feel liberating and worth aspiring for.
Budgeting, planning, recognizing what people need and pitching to make a good impression, hopefully followed by a sale, requires good timing, skill and mental dexterity, a time to dig deep and reference life experiences that may not have been there. been used for some time. . All things to be proud of and take credit for.
For super-achievers, achieving all those important goals while being professionally and financially successful comes with its own set of pressures. It takes a lot of money and personal investment to maintain the lifestyle, fitness level, and appearance to meet other people’s expectations of what success looks like. And often other people judge a person’s success by what they see and attract their attention.
Another person’s perception of success can be good or bad, positive or negative, depending on what is happening in their own lives. For example, if you were looking to make a midway purchase, what would you think if you saw flashy, expensive cars in the staff parking lot; who were successful or charged too much for their products? Seeing excessive wealth can make you think twice. But if you were looking for a high-end purchase, seeing signs of opulent success might convince you that you were in the right place. Perception is relative to each situation.
There are those people who seem to have it all, the business reputation, a big house, an expensive car and a lifestyle. For them, success can now be about cutting back, downsizing, and spending less time at work, with more time for the things that matter to them, doing the things they want to do. It may be that family time has become more important, being acutely aware that children grow up quickly whether you’re there to see them or not, and that relationships can struggle if not regularly nurtured.
Other people may have always wanted to travel, see the world, and take their time doing it. They may feel successful when they can finally buy a motorhome or pack their backpack and leave, with the freedom to do as they please. Being in a position where they can volunteer and do charity work gives many people a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment, perhaps in a way never experienced in a work setting. Success, for them, is seeing the difference their participation makes.
Interestingly, being successful can also bring its own challenges. It’s not uncommon to hear about the void left when an athlete succeeds in a competition, but then has nowhere to go; they have achieved it all. What comes next if there is no new success to aim for? Many top athletes report experiencing the chasm that remains when, after years of dedication and focus, they retire and it all comes to an end, especially when they are at the top of their game.
It is important to plan ahead. While you are of one mind about your own goals and motivation, it is also important to be aware of the importance of cultivating interests and satisfactions outside of your main focus.
What does success mean to you? Is it a financial, fitness or lifestyle goal? For many, it is when they finally feel like they are making a valuable contribution, while finding a sense of security and inner peace. Money is only a part of it; recognition, appreciation, and personal satisfaction often bring their own success and reward.