How do you define Success?
Is it about achieving a particular status…the impressive title, the fancy car, the big house? Does it come from a having a notable degree and a big bank account?
I’d venture to say that everyone reading this knows of people who can boast those “achievements”, but are in fact living unhappy, empty lives. So despite the fact that we are enamored by the fame, fortune and power that society celebrates, I think we all know that true Success is much more than that.
So what’s missing?
A few years back I did a journaling exercise with a coach I was working with on my “Success Mindset”. I defined Success as living one’s life in excellence…as having one’s internal experience (body, mind & spirit) completely in harmony with one’s external experience.
And then just a few weeks ago I was reading an article by Darren Hardy in Success Magazine, and I really resonated with his discussion on this topic. He talked about how those people who have achieved that external, material success will inevitably feel that something is amiss if they have not also acquired the thing that matters most ~ Significance.
This is the key element to the harmony I was referring to in my definition. It is significance that allows the internal experience to be as beautiful as the external experience. Significance is about knowing that we have had a positive impact on others….that our lives and been meaningful. The conversation shifts from one of power to one of value.
“The interesting thing is you can be successful and not significant, but you cannot be significant without being successful. A successful person, by our definition, is one who has achieved five pillars of excellence: business, well-being, relationships, wealth and contribution. We call this “whole-life success,” and one who has achieved it has attained a life of significance.” ~ Darren Hardy
Whole-life Success. Yes! This is exactly why I became Holistic Health Coach and created Conscious Choices Wellness. To truly live life to the fullest, we must focus on all the pieces of the puzzle called life, because if even one is missing, our potential impact is not fully realized.
So which are you striving for, Success or Significance?
I think this is the perfect time of year to begin evaluating how you are using your unique talents and valuable time and energy to create a life of abundance on the inside, the outside and all around you. The new year is fast approaching, and it is always a time of great reflection. Begin now to think about where you might need to shift something in your life to create space for more of the balance that leads to Whole-life Success. Don’t wait until the very end of the year (or the beginning of the next!) to begin thinking about what you will be about and bring about in 2012!
Begin thinking about it now ~ what is the legacy you intend to leave?
This is important to know, because it’s your legacy that will last. So take some time to get clear on this, because when you do, you will make your choices with complete confidence knowing whether or not they serve and support your intended legacy.
Because as my favorite goals coach Gary Ryan Blair says, “We only live once, but once is enough if we do it right. Live your life with class, dignity, and style so that an exclamation, rather than a question mark, signifies it!”
Yours in Whole-life Success!
