What Is Your Definition Of Success

I was recently in the monthly Women In Leadership meeting at work.

The topic of the month was “careers” — and there were questions about the past, the present and aspirations for the future.

One of the questions we were asked was — how has your definition of success changed as your career progressed.

We were broken up into groups of four so everyone got a chance to speak.

There were some great answers such as — in the beginning, it was about my own growth, and now as a senior member, success is measured in terms of my team’s growth.

Earlier it was about how much I am learning, now it is about how I can mentor the newbies.

There was only one new grad in the group and her answer was — for me, right now, success is that I have landed a job that I love!

I was the last one to answer, and as I reflected on the answers others gave, I tried to see how it mapped to my definition.

I had not actually aspired to be a career person! This was not in the cards for me.

I have not judged myself as either a failure or a success! I just AM.

So then what IS my definition of success and how has it changed over the 25 years of my career?

After some introspection, I settled upon this answer:

My definition of success has not changed much over time.

I feel successful if I go to bed feeling content about how I spent my day.

I feel successful when I know I have made positive contributions wherever I was present.

I feel successful if I have lived by my own core values — regardless of whether my work translates into rewards or not.

Ok fine, sometimes I fight for a raise or a promotion — but only if it is in line with my core values, one of which is fairness

I feel successful (or not) on a day to day, moment to moment basis — based on whether my values are being upheld or not!

So my definition: When I look back and feel content about my decisions and actions, even if the outcomes were not what I expected!

What is your definition of success?