What is Success? and How do you define it?

So what is success and how do you define success?

As coaches we often ask our clients to define what success really means to you and to your business first?

I am sure that from time to time you may have thought about the question “What makes a person successful?”

Now I want you to ask yourself this question “What does being successful mean to you?”

So, how do you define success? Do you define success by:
  • How much money you earn?
  • How well your business is doing?
  • Sell out Art exhibitions
  • What type of car do you drive?
Success has different meaning for everybody.
Success can be measured different ways too, and it all depends on your point of view.

Let me demonstrate this point.

You’ve heard the cliche, success is a journey, not a destination right?

In most of  the cases I  tend to agree.  The thrill for me is more in the chasing than in the catching.  When I was young I loved catching dragonflies with  my friends and  our  goals were  to see who can catch the biggest dragonfly among us? So one day I caught a  very large one  and  all my friends were cheering and one of them brought over a glass jar opened the lid and  ready for me to put the dragonfly into jar.  I turned around to my friends and set free to the dragonfly.

“Why did you let it go? it was the biggest one we’ve ever caught” my friend said.

” Well I don’t know, I  just don’t want to keep it in the jar so I let it go” I said  to them with a smile.

At the time I was too young to understand what success really mean. And now looking back success is just like that moment. I guess we all love the excitement of what’s going to happen, the thrill of seeking and chasing for  the “what if” and desire come with it. However, the minute you’ve got to that level, you have to set different goals or dreams to experience those adrenaline and thrill again. Just like I reached my goal  catching the biggest dragonfly and let it go so I can move on to something else. The issue is that many of us think success is to have it all, the truth is, success is about how you see yourself and how you’re able to enjoy your life and be happy.

Let ‘s look at some examples here:

A Hollywood actor may want to beat his Academy award record.

An Athlete may want to beat her “Personal Best”.

A Fashion Designer may measure her success by having her label ranged in a major department store.

Because we all define and measure success differently. it’s important to set specific and purpose goals.
“A quitter never wins and a winner never quits”~ Napoleon Hill

I like this quote from Napoleon Hill.

If you quit then you’ll never succeed in your goals and you won’t reach your dreams either.

Successful people you know never quit and that is the whole reason why they end up successful.

Now of course, success doesn’t come as easy as you may think. It takes lots of effort and time. You need to be persistent in order to become successful.

Do you know what you want? Do you have what it takes to succeed – clear goals and focus?

And how are you planning to keeping yourself motivated?

Well, we have some tips you may find useful:

  • Get help. Find a business coach or a mentor to work along side you and to hold you accountable.
  • Set a clear purpose  and goals for you to achieve. Display them somewhere visible so you can see them everyday.
  • Create a vision board with images and quotes that inspire and motivate you to achieve your goals. Pin it somewhere that you can see it.
  • Listen to motivational CDs or music that stimulate your mind and to keep you focused and motivated.
If you want to be successful in your business make sure you don’t give up. Keep track of your goals, and don’t get distracted with other unrelated tasks.
Vinh Van Lam
the authorVinh Van Lam
Vinh Van Lam, co-founder of ArtSHINE, is a visionary art coach and entrepreneur with a passion for fostering creativity. With a diverse background in art and business, he brings a unique perspective to empower emerging artists, enabling them to thrive in the dynamic art industry through the innovative platform of ArtSHINE.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.