“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success.” ~Albert Schweitzer
I work with “successful” people every day. People who are in positions of power and have bank accounts and investments that “prove” it. Yet, they hire me because they’re not happy.
This is since success is an arbitrary, amorphous goal and an even messier journey.
And it can be measured in myriad ways, which can be confusing when you’re trying to figure out who you are, what you want and how you’ll measure it.
As an example, a mile can be measured in inches, feet, or yards. Or by laying a baseball bat end-to-end, or by any other arbitrary method.
A horse size is measured by hands, but whose hands, and what size?
Winston Churchill measured success by courage and perseverance; Henry Ford, by collaboration and teamwork; Vince Lombardi by dedication and determination.
Success can be ”measured” by so many standards—money, position, education, freedom, truth, flexibility or harmony come to mind—that to say you “want to be successful” says nothing at all unless your own personal standard has been defined.
Too many of us allow others to dictate what success should look like, and what happiness should feel like.
The question is not “What does success look like to you?” but rather, “How will you know when you experience it?”
Because you won’t unless you are clear, and aware, and receptive.
Welcome to your messy journey.
