What is Success?
We see the word success used many times in our lives and careers – it is something we are all told to aspire to. But what does success actually mean and in what context do we achieve it? The word itself makes us think of monetary worth, position and influence. According to the Oxford dictionary: ‘The accomplishment of an aim or purpose’ or ‘The attainment of fame, wealth, or social status’ are the top two definitions.
Does attaining fame, wealth and social status through the achievement of aims bring us happiness, contentment and fulfilment? It may do, but what I am interested in looking at in this post is the context of success in our lives and how it can vary depending on one’s outlook. Success = wealth + status + influence/fame? The saying ‘money does not buy happiness’ comes to mind.
Achieving the Dream
As young adults we are told to ‘work hard, do well and the result will be a good job and a comfortable future’. Everything generations of parents have done has been to try and chart their children’s path towards a future as or more successful than their own. We all want to instill in our children and youth the ideology that working hard will get you ‘success’ in life – a comfortable income, a nice home and happy family life. However, for someone in a demanding corporate career or working hard on their own business, the price of success could be stress, problems with their health and family life as they struggle to compete at work to get higher pay, better promotions and the win the respect of their colleagues. The constant competition to keep on top and be seen to be successful can also be stressful.
For today’s students the price of success is hard work, less free time, expectations from schools and parents to get into higher education, less time for creativity and their passions. So how does one reconcile success in terms of achievement and wealth against the lack of time and opportunity to enjoy the fruits of one’s labours? Recently, I found myself thinking about this very idea when looking at university choices for my older son. Being a passionate musician and technology enthusiast studying science, he was keen to find courses that would allow him some creativity and the opportunity to continue his musical interests at university. Should he aim for the high earning traditional science fields or follow his interest into more creative music tech and digital media courses? Should he follow a passion or follow the path to a traditionally high income career? Studying what you enjoy in an environment where you can invest in your passions should motivate a student to do well.
I am pleased that we found a good compromise – with courses and institutions that afforded both creative music possibilities and future earning potential spanning computing and music. Always look to pursue what you are interested in as there will always be options. If one is passionate about something it will usually lead to success through increased effort and happiness at work. Follow work that interests you not just the money! Following a career purely for money will probably result in a stressful or unhappy work life due to lack of motivation which then spills into personal life. You cannot motivate yourself to work when you don’t enjoy or get excited about what you do everyday.
So success could then be defined as: Success = effort + interesting, enjoyable work + happy life balance * (good income + health). Success in terms of monetary gain would not mean anything if there was no one to share it with or one ended up ill and unhappy. There are many instances where I have seen people unhappy and stressed due to too much focus on their work lives and too little on what makes them happy.
Success in Context
What does success mean to each of us? For some it may represent the dictionary definition above. For others, its finding happiness and being fulfilled in the work you do and life you live. For me, success consists of several things: being able to balance work that is fulfilling through helping people succeed, time for family and friends, time for my interests and exercise. Working for myself allows me to control the time I spend in the areas most important to me. Making the decision to leave full time employment was the right decision for me. Guiding the aspirations and potential of the younger generation is one of my aims through the work I do in educational coaching. Parents and teachers are our first coaches and mentors. If as parents or advisors we are able to give children the tools and habits to balance academic or work achievements with their passions and family life, then we are giving the next generation the means to succeed. As managers we should mentor and coach those we manage to equip them with the tools to achieve their potential in a balanced work life which is a winning situation all round.
Success is not a concept, it is living in the moment and being able to enjoy and be rewarded for what you do. More often than not, the rewards will follow.
A Recipe for Success
- find work you enjoy (you may have to try out more than one area – most of us don’t get it right first time) – psychometrics/personality assessment can help here
- add a dash of passion or interests
- mix this with the company of people who are positive influences in your life
- leave time for family and friends
- Ask for help if you need it to find your path
Then you can really begin to enjoy the fruits of your success.
Coaching can help discover your purpose and address the life balance you need to be happy and successful.
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