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There is no measuring stick when it comes to success. Everyone’s bar is set at a different height – and that’s the most beautiful thing about it. Each and every one of us gets to determine and decide what success means for us.
Whether it is defined by shopping for luxury goods, finding deals to save more money, climbing the corporate ladder or being a good parent, we all see success differently.
If each of us determines what success means for ourselves, then the most important thing is this: What does success look like to you?
This may or may not be a simple answer. Our definition of success can change greatly throughout our lives. There are many reasons for this.
One reason our definition of success can change is by experiencing it. Put another way, sometimes we think we want something. But often, what we need is to get a little taste of it, then we can make a better assessment as to whether it’s as fulfilling as we imagine.
This is especially true at the beginning of something, where we don’t have a lot of familiarity with it yet. We first get started with something, we usually only have a mental-image of what think it is. The reality of it only becomes clear once we experience it. It’s at that point where we begin to understand enough about it to make a more informed decision.
The simplest answer to this is that once we get into something we may find that it’s not all we thought it was going to be.
sometimes we are filled with ambition, excitement and energy and we want to go out and set the world on fire. But once we start doing that we realize that it takes a lot of energy to do that day after day. For everything in life, there is a price to pay. There is always a trade-off. In time, we may decide that that price is too high. We realize we are more content with a less demanding, simpler way of life.
This is often the case for people who find themselves in supervisory or managerial positions. The job comes with a lot of extra stress and responsibility and the bump in pay may simply be not worth it. These people find that they would prefer to go back to being worker bees without all the headaches.
For many people, they discover the benefit of less is more. This is one reason the minimalist movement has gained such steam and popularity. People are realizing that the societal norms that promoted having more, doing more, and materialism have a trade-off. By giving up shopping for extravagances, they have simplified their lives.
The two biggest trade-offs are time and money. To have more, you have to earn more, which typically means you have to work more and harder.
More money usually comes by demanding more of your time. That means less time to enjoy the fruits of your labor or to spend time with your family or loved ones.
Thousands of people are now rejecting this notion by minimalizing and downsizing their lives. They are trading large homes for tiny ones. They are living with fewer possessions.
People are finding ways to earn “just enough” to live comfortably. They are working shorter hours or finding ways to become self-sufficient entrepreneurs that allow them to have flexible hours.
Many people are taking their time and lives back, finding ways to live simpler lives that enrich them not by what they have externally, but by enjoying the riches of peace of mind, reduced stress and in a way that makes their lives feel like they have greater purpose.
