What is success?

Success is something you are in full control of. From the very definition of it up to the point where you decide if you reached it or not. Every person has to define what does success means to him or her.
Thanks to societal pressures and expectations, not every person do so. Nowadays success is mainly tied to money and fame which is a pity. There is much more to it than those two. Yet many of us do not define it for ourselves but just accept the definition by someone else. If you are unhappy and feel unsuccessful, it might be a good time to reflect upon success. A good starting point would be the very definition of it and being honest to yourself.

Here is how I define success

• Raise my kids to become happy and fulfilled people
• Being able to provide enough security to my children so that they can be free to explore the world.
  That doesn’t mean that I will pay for their “self-discovering trip around the world at 30”. I will not. I want to let them tinker with whatever they find interesting, try new things, visit new places, and learn as much as possible. Until the age of 20. If I manage to do that, I will call it a success.
• Create something that will continue to be hereafter I’m gone
  Creating a company or an organization that continues to thrive after I’m gone would mean that I was successful. Sadly I won’t be able to tick this checkbox in my to-do app.

An imporntant closing thought

Redefining success is something that is not only good to do but rather is a critical part of the journey called life. Everything around you is constantly changing and adapting, so do your definitions need to. You are in control of it, don’t let it control you.