Day 1: Clarifying What Success Means to You

Welcome to the Finding Clarity 7-Day Challenge! Over the next 7 days, we’re going to help you find clarity around your most important goals so you can focus on what is most meaningful, inspiring, and fulfilling in your life.

Throughout this challenge, we’ll talk a lot about the concept of ‘Success,’ but that term doesn’t have a one-size-fits-all definition that works for every individual.

‘Success’ is often thrown around in conversations, on social media, and in self-help books. It’s frequently used to describe the achievements of individuals, businesses, and even entire societies. But what does success truly mean? And why is knowing what success looks like TO YOU is so important?

I have always felt blessed learning early in life that SUCCESS can only be Self-defined and it is not a Social Construct. My grammar school teachers and parents instilled that concept deeply into my psyche.

Here’s Why It is Important to Know What Success Means to You:

Success Is Subjective
What one person considers successful may not align with another person’s definition. For example, for some, success might mean achieving financial stability, while for others, it means positively impacting the world.

A More Content Life
When you allow others to define success for you, you risk living a life not aligned with your values and desires, leading to discontent, frustration, and resentment. For instance, if society defines success as climbing the corporate ladder, but your true passion lies in creating art, you may feel unfulfilled in your career, and you might not even meet people in your personal life you feel compatible with. Determining what success looks like to you, and living by those ideas, leads to a happier, more content life.

Personal Growth and Self-Discovery
Defining success requires introspection, mindfulness, and self-awareness to understand what truly matters to you. In addition, it helps to reflect on your values, goals, and aspirations as you craft a vision of success uniquely yours.

Autonomy and Ownership
Embracing accountability for your own life allows you to craft your own destiny. You gain autonomy to make decisions that align with your definition of success, which is incredibly motivating, leading to greater agency and control over your life.

Success Is Dynamic
Your priorities, values, and goals will shift as you experience new things and grow as a person. It’s a natural part of life. It’s okay to reassess and redefine what success means to you at different stages of your journey.

Success Is Personal
It is not up to others to define what success looks like for you. It’s up to you to determine what it means in the context of your own life. Remember, your definition of success is valid, regardless of how it compares to the definitions of others. Only you can define what success is for you. Set your own goals inspired by your values and beliefs, and you will create a genuine life worth living.

Clarifying Who You Want to Be and What You Want to Achieve
Being clear about who you want to be and what you want to achieve provides a roadmap for your life, guiding your decisions and actions, and aligning them with your values and aspirations.

To achieve this, you need to:

Reflect on Your Values — Start by identifying your core values. What principles and beliefs are most important to you?
Define Who You Want to Be — What qualities and characteristics do you want to embody?
Set Meaningful Goals — Contemplate what you hope to accomplish in life, like career, relationships, health, and self-improvement.
Envision How You Want to Feel — How do you want to feel about your life and how you spend your days?
Plan Your Ideal Day — Imagine what your ideal day looks like. What activities will you engage in? How will you structure your time?
Create a Vision Board — Consider creating a vision board. Use images, quotes, and symbols that resonate with you so it’s easy for you to truly imagine and dream about your vision.

As you work on clarifying your vision, remaining flexible and adaptable is critical. Life, just like success, is dynamic. Therefore, your vision and CLARITY will evolve as you grow and encounter new experiences.

Taking Action
Having a vision is key. But, to make your dream a reality, you must take steady steps toward realizing your goals. So, divide your goals into smaller steps and craft doable plans to attain them.

Define What Success Means to You
Find a quiet and comfortable space to reflect and write without distractions. Then, take a few deep breaths to center yourself and clear your mind.

Reflect on These Questions:

Who do you aspire to be as a person?
What qualities and characteristics do you want to embody?
How do you want to be perceived by others (e.g., family, friends, colleagues)?
What values and principles do you want to uphold in your life?
What will your obituary say about you?

Then, grab a notebook or a blank sheet of paper and do a big ‘brain dump’ of everything that comes to mind. Don’t edit or limit yourself at this point. Just get it all out and down on paper. This process will help clear your mind so you can identify what is truly meaningful to you – and what you can let go of without regret.

Day 1 ‘Finding Clarity’ Exercise: What Success Means to You

Write a brief description of what success means to you. Your description should capture the essence of who you want to be and the attributes you wish to cultivate. Write it as specifically and detailed as possible and be on the lookout for vague phrases that aren’t clearly defined.

For Example:
I want to live a purpose-driven life guided by mindfulness, creativity, empowerment, and authenticity. I want to positively impact the world and inspire others to do the same. I’m dedicated to being a lifelong learner, continuously growing and evolving on my journey to becoming the best version of myself possible to live the life of my dreams.

While this is a good starting point, take it a step further. WRITE down exactly what a ‘purpose-driven life’ looks like to you or how you plan to make a ‘positive impact on the world’ and inspire others to do the same. How do you spend your days and with whom? What kind of work or charitable activities are you doing? These details will help bring this process to life.

Next, consider any areas of your life where you feel you’re already living in alignment with your vision and where you’d like to make changes or improvements.

Reflect on These Questions:

What actions or habits do you need to adopt to move closer to your version of success?
Are any beliefs or behaviors holding you back from fully achieving this?
If so, how will you address them?

Now, take a moment to visualize your life once you achieve your personal version of success. Then, imagine how embodying your defined qualities and characteristics feels.

Finally, set an intention to take small, intentional steps toward achieving this goal. Remember that personal growth is a journey, and it’s okay to make gradual progress over time.