What Is Your Measure of Success and Fulfillment?

Published by mpume on August 19, 2021August 19, 2021

In today’s blog we talk about having a Change Conversation that speaks to how each one of us defines success and fulfilment. Key takeaways you can look forward to including that, we should always practice gratitude and be thankful for what we have, one must learn to live in the moment, celebrate the small goals that you achieve on a daily basis. The small things one accomplishes in life lead to the bigger things in life, like it is often said, “ a journey of a thousand kilometers starts with a single step. “  But over and above that, know that no one is here by mistake, we are all here to contribute to the bigger purpose of why we were created.

What is Success? What is Fulfillment?

Is it money? Is it happiness? Is it fame? Success traditionally has been defined in terms of money and power, or reaching the top in corporate, or business, commanding the room etc …But we all have different meanings for success. Most of us define success and fulfillment depending on where we are in life. A young person would probably tell you that having money is all the success they need, and it will bring them fulfillment, an elderly person would most likely tell you that they feel fulfilled when they have a better relationship with their family, whether it be through spending more time together or sharing their dreams and visions with their family.

One thing is certain, we cannot define success and fulfillment as a “one size fits all”. It is probably safe to say that the definition of success and fulfillment depends on the individual, we cannot  define it in a single statement, but instead it is made up of many components.

One’s success could mean owning a home, and that brings them fulfillment; another’s success could be overcoming fear, conquering a fear makes you feel invincible; and yet to another, success could mean learning something new each day. Successful people understand that learning never stops. To others success is celebrating small victories, or not allowing disability to hold you back, or standing your ground on what you believe. So there’s diverse meanings to what success or fulfillment is.

What is important is to understand what you really want out of your life. The definition of success can change according to our life circumstances. Regardless of it, if you want to achieve success in life, you must be able to articulate what it is you want so that you can define the success you envision before you can achieve it.

The most important thing about success, fulfilment or any feeling of accomplishment is that they never come from the outside, they have to be generated from within. It’s about staying focused on our life and looking for that “something”  that sparks passion. Success and fulfillment is about creating experiences of all different kinds because that’s what adds value and ultimately meaning to life.

How does one achieve success?

The first step to achieving the success you want is to find out exactly what you want to achieve.

1. Success begins in your mind-  Some would argue that you are the product of your thoughts, which goes to show that what we meditate on is what manifests, but more importantly, the point I’m trying to bring to the fore, is really the power of our mind. I read that most people exercise visualization of what it is they want to accomplish before they actually work on it, they project a very clear picture of what success or fulfillment is to them. It is important to have a clear vision for what you want, otherwise you can never project a clear picture of it in your head.
2. Clarity is important – If your goal is to have money but you don’t define the exact amount, your goal is not clear, it means you cannot measure it, and if you cannot measure your goals, it means you won’t know when you have achieved it right? Because you don’t have a measurement plan or system in place that will help you track your goals.

 Some practical steps to achieve your success and fulfillment

1. Make a list of all the success goals you want to achieve – be as specific as possible as you can, this helps you understand the success you want in life better. But it also helps you focus on what you want to prioritise.
2. Make actionable plans to achieve your set goals. Larry Wincet said, “Nobody ever wrote a plan to be broke, fat ,lazy or stupid. Those things are what happens when you don’t have a plan”. I know most plans don’t always work out, but I would advise you have one than no plan at all. A plan always helps you to be proactive in decision making.
3. Celebrate the small achievements – Setting smaller goals provides many reasons to celebrate and appreciate how far you have come. Reward yourself for smaller achievements and don’t always have a mindset of being “stuck” in the future when you can celebrate the present.
4. Never compare yourself to others – Finding fulfillment in life is not about measuring against others or our past victories, or again being “stuck” in the future. It’s about finding the best way of dealing with what we are faced with in the present as best as we can, and still find some joy in it all.
5. Learn to be grateful and not complain – Always, it’s quite easy to just complain about life, it’s a natural reaction we express towards frustration. But being grateful for the small wins in our life and what we have is very powerful because it gives us control over what brings us joy or fulfillment.
6. Be your own version of “Dora the Explorer”. Lol. Do the things you love, things that bring you joy, find whatever inspires you and make an effort to do that every day, both for work and as a hobby. Having different hobbies helps to get some perspective on what it is that really excites you and sparks your passion.
7. Adopt a mindset of a lifelong student. Make it one of your priorities to challenge yourself to grow. Step out of your comfort zone and learn something new, I remember learning how to swim when I turned 40 years old, it was a moment I found quite fulfilling.

In Conclusion

What is important is this. With the fast pace of everyday life it’s easy to get a feeling that makes you think you are falling behind. Finding fulfillment in life can be very hard when you don’t feel like you are standing on firm ground. Success and fulfillment is the key to life because it is the reason we live because they are the things that ignite our true being, allowing us to be  unapologetic about who we are.  Learn to set small goals and celebrate them as you go along. Success is not a one-day job, it is a lifelong process that you should enjoy, even the snags you meet along the way, they are there to teach you something, be grateful and complain less.