ue. Success is not outside of you. It is not a comparison of your life to someone else’s. It is not having more or doing more unless that is your chosen definition. In the end, your success will be determined by what you gave back, shared or how you contributed to the lives of others and I don’t mean the financial contribution. I am talking here about your legacy. You see we are all here for a short time and then we are gone forever.

So if when you life is over you have had fun, made loads of positive memories, enjoyed the trip and done your share to contribute to the lives of others in my mind you were a success no matter what your b

Many people have a contorted idea of what success is and isn't. So what's the answer?

Over the years, I have heard dozens of definitions of success or:

· what success is
· what success can be
· how to find success
· how to maintain success
· how to enjoy success
· how to feel successful when you aren’t
· how to share your success
· who is successful and who isn’t
· why success is important
· why we lose success
· and numerous similar concepts.

I would like to focus on what success isn’t, and what gets in our way as we search after it.

Please keep in mind that success is defined differently by everyone. Each of us puts our own personal twist on what we feel represents success in our lives. To one person success is money, to another it is good health. To many it is a pleasant lifestyle, and to others just getting through another day. During my life, I have been at the bottom of the barrel and I have been to the mountaintop. I have known the sting of failure and the thrill of achievement. But in all of these circumstances, the one concept that helped me maintain a sense of inner peace and calm was my definition of success - that became the watchword for my life during whatever was going on in my world.

Success isn’t:
· more money than you can spend.
· career accolades.
· a position of influence.
· a new car every year.
· a bigger house.
· financial security

I am certain that there is at least one person reading this that will take issue with one or more of the items in either previous list. That is your right however, none of us has the right to define others by their own standards or definition of success, and no one has the right to judge me by their standards. During the past 40 years, I have been in front of over a quarter million people as a professional speaker worldwide, and I can tell you that in each of those audiences there were people who were more and less successful than I was at the time. Ah ha….according to what standards? You see, as soon as I make the previous statement, I am assuming that your definition of success is or should be the same as mine. Success to me means: living the way you want to live and the ability to support that lifestyle based on your own talent, time, energy and ability. It doesn’t mean that if you inherit a million bucks and live the life of leisure - you are successful. (Just lucky!) It also doesn’t mean that you will keep or use your resources to maintain your success.

Here’s the crutch of this issue. Success is not outside of you. It is not a comparison of your life to someone else’s. It is not having more or doing more unless that is your chosen definition. In the end, your success will be determined by what you gave back, shared or how you contributed to the lives of others and I don’t mean the financial contribution. I am talking here about your legacy. You see we are all here for a short time and then we are gone forever.

So if when you life is over you have had fun, made loads of positive memories, enjoyed the trip and done your share to contribute to the lives of others in my mind you were a success no matter what your ba

s is defined differently by everyone. Each of us puts our own personal twist on what we feel represents success in our lives. To one person success is money, to another it is good health. To many it is a pleasant lifestyle, and to others just getting through another day. During my life, I have been at the bottom of the barrel and I have been to the mountaintop. I have known the sting of failure and the thrill of achievement. But in all of these circumstances, the one concept that helped me maintain a sense of inner peace and calm was my definition of success - that became the watchword for my life during whatever was going on in my world.

Success isn’t:
· more money than you can spend.
· career accolades.
· a position of influence.
· a new car every year.
· a bigger house.
· financial security

I am certain that there is at least one person reading this that will take issue with one or more of the items in either previous list. That is your right however, none of us has the right to define others by their own standards or definition of success, and no one has the right to judge me by their standards. During the past 40 years, I have been in front of over a quarter million people as a professional speaker worldwide, and I can tell you that in each of those audiences there were people who were more and less successful than I was at the time. Ah ha….according to what standards? You see, as soon as I make the previous statement, I am assuming that your definition of success is or should be the same as mine. Success to me means: living the way you want to live and the ability to support that lifestyle based on your own talent, time, energy and ability. It doesn’t mean that if you inherit a million bucks and live the life of leisure - you are successful. (Just lucky!) It also doesn’t mean that you will keep or use your resources to maintain your success.

Here’s the crutch of this issue. Success is not outside of you. It is not a comparison of your life to someone else’s. It is not having more or doing more unless that is your chosen definition. In the end, your success will be determined by what you gave back, shared or how you contributed to the lives of others and I don’t mean the financial contribution. I am talking here about your legacy. You see we are all here for a short time and then we are gone forever.

So if when you life is over you have had fun, made loads of positive memories, enjoyed the trip and done your share to contribute to the lives of others in my mind you were a success no matter what your b

ccess isn’t:
· more money than you can spend.
· career accolades.
· a position of influence.
· a new car every year.
· a bigger house.
· financial security

I am certain that there is at least one person reading this that will take issue with one or more of the items in either previous list. That is your right however, none of us has the right to define others by their own standards or definition of success, and no one has the right to judge me by their standards. During the past 40 years, I have been in front of over a quarter million people as a professional speaker worldwide, and I can tell you that in each of those audiences there were people who were more and less successful than I was at the time. Ah ha….according to what standards? You see, as soon as I make the previous statement, I am assuming that your definition of success is or should be the same as mine. Success to me means: living the way you want to live and the ability to support that lifestyle based on your own talent, time, energy and ability. It doesn’t mean that if you inherit a million bucks and live the life of leisure - you are successful. (Just lucky!) It also doesn’t mean that you will keep or use your resources to maintain your success.

Here’s the crutch of this issue. Success is not outside of you. It is not a comparison of your life to someone else’s. It is not having more or doing more unless that is your chosen definition. In the end, your success will be determined by what you gave back, shared or how you contributed to the lives of others and I don’t mean the financial contribution. I am talking here about your legacy. You see we are all here for a short time and then we are gone forever.

So if when you life is over you have had fun, made loads of positive memories, enjoyed the trip and done your share to contribute to the lives of others in my mind you were a success no matter what your b

ch of those audiences there were people who were more and less successful than I was at the time. Ah ha….according to what standards? You see, as soon as I make the previous statement, I am assuming that your definition of success is or should be the same as mine. Success to me means: living the way you want to live and the ability to support that lifestyle based on your own talent, time, energy and ability. It doesn’t mean that if you inherit a million bucks and live the life of leisure - you are successful. (Just lucky!) It also doesn’t mean that you will keep or use your resources to maintain your success.

Here’s the crutch of this issue. Success is not outside of you. It is not a comparison of your life to someone else’s. It is not having more or doing more unless that is your chosen definition. In the end, your success will be determined by what you gave back, shared or how you contributed to the lives of others and I don’t mean the financial contribution. I am talking here about your legacy. You see we are all here for a short time and then we are gone forever.

So if when you life is over you have had fun, made loads of positive memories, enjoyed the trip and done your share to contribute to the lives of others in my mind you were a success no matter what your b

ue. Success is not outside of you. It is not a comparison of your life to someone else’s. It is not having more or doing more unless that is your chosen definition. In the end, your success will be determined by what you gave back, shared or how you contributed to the lives of others and I don’t mean the financial contribution. I am talking here about your legacy. You see we are all here for a short time and then we are gone forever.

So if when you life is over you have had fun, made loads of positive memories, enjoyed the trip and done your share to contribute to the lives of others in my mind you were a success no matter what your bank balance was when you checked out of here.