What is success?

I’m currently listening to one of Darren Hardy’s books, The Entrepreneurial Roller Coaster. In it he asks the question, “What is success?” When he was first asked this question, it really struck Hardy and his emotions as he searched for his answer. He immediately went home and pulled out his journal to dive deeper into this question. I did the exact same thing and here is what I recorded:

Ask yourself that question, “What is success?” Swarms of answers rush to my brain, attempting a great response, but at first, nothing that really answered the question to the depth of which it deserved.

Diving deeper into my initial responses, I immediately noticed the superficiality of them all. Not because of what they were, but because of how easy they were and how fast they popped into my head. I don’t think this is a question that can be, nor should be, answered easily and quickly for the the first time.

Success is not over night. Success stems from consistency. Determination. Perseverance. It’s a constant battle. And in battle, you get knocked down. You are going to lose at times. You are going to feel defeated. Your are going to want to give up.

Remember that you want success more than you want to give up. Defeat is part of success. It grows you. It molds you. It sharpens you.

It is during these times where it becomes even more important to know what success is to you. Knowing your answer gets you back up off the floor when you’ve been knocked down. It brings clarity when you can’t see straight or when you’re blinded my obstacles.

Knowing your answer to this question is success.

And then it happened. After sharing my thoughts about success and asking myself that question, I began to write the answers that meant the most to me:

• Success to me is making a positive impact in every person I encounter.
• Success is not worrying about what everyone else thinks.
• Success is leading others toward health, prosperity, and positivity.
• Success is being a better version of me today than I was yesterday.
• Success is being the best friend, business partner, family member, son, and one day, husband and father, I can be.
• Success is being a man of God and sharing His word.

These are all the things that make me successful. Each of these are my “why.”

Why I will get up when I get knocked down. Why I will continue when adversity presents itself, over and over. And why ultimately in my mind, I am and will be successful.

So what is success to you? Sharing my thoughts about the topic helped me develop and record my answers in my journal. Grab a paper and pen, or maybe even a loved one to talk with and answer this question.

Dig deeper than your initial responses. Find out what drives you at your core. When you know this, the daily battles become part of your journey. Embrace them. Stay focused on your “why.”

And most important, continue to get up and move forward. That is success in itself.