financial independence

We hear the term "success" - often very vague and undefined. So what really is success? It’s easy to confuse success with wealth, fame or achievement. The first step to achieving success, is defining it...

We may allow the expectations of others, perhaps family, friends or
society, to define success for us, and fail to stop to think about what
matters most to us -- to review our ultimate goal in life.

"success: an event that accomplishes its intended purpose"

 What does success mean to you? Is it merely to make a ton of money? But there’s more to life than money. What are you working so hard to achieve? It can be scary to define success. Why? Because the possibility of failure? Failure? The stepping stone to success?

So what if you fail? You will make mistakes. How you respond to them is key. Choose to learn
from them, get back on your feet and try again. Never beat yourself up
or let mistakes stop you from moving forward. It may take time to reach
your dream, but don’t lose heart along the way. Keep your eyes on the
goal, think about it often and do something every day to move towards
your success.

There is no one-size-fits-all definition for success. Everyone has his
or her own unique description. Also, as you learn and gain experience
your definition of success may change. Answer the following questions
to determine what success means to you:

• What am I truly passionate about?

• What gives me the greatest fulfillment in life?

• What makes me genuinely happy?

• What would my dream lifestyle be like? (Give yourself permission to dream big dreams!)

• What ingredients must be present for me to consider myself successful?

• Who do I consider to be successful?

• Why do I regard them as successful?

Take a few minutes to write out what success means for you, and what it will look like when you achieve it. This may take
a little soul-searching but will prove well worth the effort. Then put
a plan in place to achieve it. Good luck!