Defining Your Success

The Best Way to Achieve Success is to Define it!

Without clear definition, you’ll likely chase other people’s visions of success, ultimately leaving you feeling distracted and unsatisfied. Even if, as you go along life’s path, you change your definition, at least with this document, you will have a structural basis from which to deviate thoughtfully. Below is a list of 80 questions related to 7 areas of your life: relationships, materialism, emotional, ethics, knowledge/creativity, physical, and time.

Click below to download Kevin’s 80 Questions for Defining Success.

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By no means does this document represent every question. So you should, by all means, address additional issues that are relevant to your life. Here are some tips for getting the most from the process:

  1. This process is not supposed to be easy. It’s supposed to make you uncomfortable. If it’s too easy for you, you are probably not doing it right.
  2. This is not a timed test. You will not get “bonus points” if you finish the 80 questions quickly. This is about getting it right, because it’s your life and you only get one shot.
  3. This list is not meant to be finite or permanent. This is only a beginning to get you thinking. Once you have your answers down, you will want to regularly revisit and modify because you will grow and change.
  4. Sharing is Caring. Once you know what success means to you, help others in your sphere of influence figure out what success means to them. If your spouse and/or business partner have a very different definition of success, you will need to work together to reconcile the visions.
  5. This is not a stand-alone document. It’s meant to work in conjunction with your core values, mission, purpose, and BHAG. If one of your core values is stability but one of your definitions of success is to travel all over the world and live in 35 countries by 2030, you’ll need to reassess your answers to resolve the conflict.

Know that this process requires focused time and thought. I recommend doing it with someone you trust. You’ll get honest feedback and you can help each other. It may require several discussions over weeks or even months. Your values may adjust and develop over time, just as you do, so embrace the change.

Best,
Kevin Daum