How do you measure success? That is an interesting question, and I suppose that if you asked a hundred people, you might get a hundred different answers.
It seems everyone has his or her on idea of what success is.
But what is YOUR idea of success? Or, another way to look at it would be to ask: What really makes a person successful? Probably, one of the most popular answers to this question would be to have enough money so that you don't have to worry about paying the bills or buying the groceries anymore.
Indeed, if you are going to live a life free from worries such as how you are going to pay for our kids' orthodontics or send them to college, then having enough money can buy a lot of peace of mind! So, I will that becoming rich is not all that bad! However, if we are honest with ourselves, we know that money can come, but it also can go.
So, maybe there is more to a good definition of success than just having money.
Other people look beyond money and define success for themselves in other ways.
For instance, many people would say that success has to do with family.
It is a common thing these days to hear a lot of people bemoaning the fact that they don't have enough time to put into their families.
That's not difficult to understand.
What with all the demands modern society puts on us such as keeping a career (or in many cases two careers) going plus all the activities that kids are involved in at school or afterward, parents and children rarely have time to talk to each other let alone share a meal together.
Couples fall into bed at night dead tired.
There have no energy to give each other.
Many people feel like they are on a treadmill.
Weekends aren't any better.
There is always a sort of frenzy that takes over because you think of all the things that need to get done before you have to go back to work on Monday.
When workers do get time off, they are too tired or too stressed or too angry to be able to give any time with the people they love.
Families can fall apart that way.
So, really, as important as families are, perhaps we should keep on looking for a better way to measure success.
It turns out that there is a solution to all of this.
Many successful people have found a way to provide financial security for their families without so much of the stress and fatigue and living life at such a fevered pace that keeps them apart.
I've heard a man say that by putting all the hours and all the work necessary to climb the corporate ladder in a certain business, he went home one night and discovered that his one year old son did not even know who he was! Daddy was a total stranger.
Wouldn't you agree, then, that a better way to measure success is not just money but also a lifestyle that includes the time and freedom and peace of mind necessary to enjoy those who are dearest to us? There is a lot more that could be said about how to measure success.
Other ingredients undoubtedly belong in this recipe.
Here we have discussed only some of the main ingredients lie freedom from financial worry and enjoyment of family.
You will still need to add your own flavorings and spices yourself to cook up what looks like success to you.
A lot of that flavoring will come from figuring out how to get out of the rat race you are in and take charge of your own future.
Too often these days people leave their fate in the hands of others such as the government or the whims of an employer.
Our world today isolates people.
There are whole neighborhoods in which no one knows who lives next door any more.
It is a dog-eat-dog mentality in which everyone is clamoring for the top and are willing to step on or over anyone who gets in the way.
Isn't there a better way? I have discovered that truly successful people find ways to be connected to others around them who are like-minded and share the same goals and vision.
They dare to chart their own course and are not afraid to stand out from the crowd.
Taking such a position these days requires courage in many cases.
It is hard to stand facing the wind.
They may not be like everybody else, but the have one thing that keeps them strong.
They have each other.
If all this sounds intriguing to you, then maybe you are ready to measure your success like this.
I'm not going to try to define for you what shape this kind of success would take in your life.
That is a very individual thing.
It requires boldness to even think like this.
But wouldn't you agree that there are too many cookie-cutter people with cookie-cutter lives who have cookie-cutter children in cookie-cutter homes? So, how do you measure success? Much of success is intangible, but the bold kind that requires courage is also the most fulfilling and most rewarding.