Nine Questions to Help You Define Personal Success

We often reflect on our accomplishments and challenges as the year’s end approaches, and resolve to set a new course for success. Before you set goals for the new year, it’s important to get in touch with what truly brings you the most joy and sense of fulfillment.

How do you define success?

Some people define it as money in the bank. Some as a balance between work and play. Success can be measured by how we view our family life or career advancements. It can also be considered a duty or an obligation. Regardless of how it is defined, a sense of success is critical to one’s well-being.

Defining personal success can be challenging. Pressure from family, your work place and society may cloud your vision of what brings you a sense of personal fulfillment. Its definition can also shift over time as you grow and change. What was once important to you when you were younger may not hold the same value as you mature.

Consider the following before answering the questions:

Success is More About Who You Are

Consider that true success is more about who you are on your life journey—how you feel about yourself, how you treat others, and how you deal with challenges.

Success for me, for example, was never about accumulating things like money or material goods. I always knew that helping others grow and reach their full potential would bring me the greatest sense of purpose. For years, I felt this calling and didn’t respond to it. When I finally listened to my inner voice and launched InnerGuide, I knew I was on the path to a more fulfilling life.

However, it’s important to not define success solely as an achievement or result, because those things come and go. A much healthier way to think about success is as a personal growth journey, one that includes both progress and setbacks.

Your definition of success may change as you change and grow, or as new opportunities and life events present themselves. Life is full of twists and turns! Be sure to take time to reflect on your newly chosen path.

Does your new path align with who you are? Is what you want on the short term different from what you really want long term? Are you willing to step out of your comfort zone to attain new goals that may be challenging for you, yet more rewarding? It is equally important to “check in” from time to time to make sure your new goals reflect your values and personal growth objectives.

Nine Questions to Help You Know Yourself More Deeply

So, before making changes and embarking on a new path for 2017, take the time to learn more about yourself. Answering the nine questions listed below, which we’ve taken from our organizer/planner, can help you go deeper on this journey of self-discovery.

Choose a quiet time and place to answer these questions—a place where you can reflect and not be interrupted:

1. What do you value most in life?
2. What do you aspire to be?
3. What are you most passionate about?
4. If money or education weren’t an issue, what would you love to do for living?
5. When do you feel most like yourself?
6. What are your top three strengths?
7. What do others most admire about you?
8. What are you holding yourself back from?
9. What unique gift do you have to share with others?

Once you’ve answered these questions, you can then start making changes that will help you achieve success—no matter how you define it. If you already know what success is in the deepest part of your being, act on it now!

There is no one just like you. Your path to success will be uniquely yours. Take time to get in touch with your authentic self to learn what is best for you and who you are. Once you find the answers within, create an action plan and take the first step today, however small, to start bringing your vision to life.