What makes a successful life? Part One

How do you define success? – when the topic of success comes up on my workshops there is often discomfort amongst participants about discussing the notion of success. Perhaps this is partly historical and cultural in the UK – ‘pride before a fall’ and all that.

It can also be that we only equate success with financial success and therefore end up discounting any other kind of success and doing ourselves down.

When I set up my business 15 years ago I wrote down how I would judge my success, not just in terms of my work, but my whole life. Why is this important? One of my first coaching clients had determined in their first year of business (before I met her) that she would earn £40K. She achieved this - unfortunately at the expense of her relationship, seeing much of her son and with an adverse impact on her health and happiness. So I always encourage people to think about every aspect of their life, so they can have an all round successful life.

What are your success criteria? How do you judge that you are successful in life and in specific situations?

Creating a positive outcome – When we create a clear positive picture or goal to work towards it can motivate and encourage us during any challenges we encounter as we move towards our goals. Make sure that your goal is positive, vivid and as specific as possible.

Visualising, believing in success – A colleague of mine has a big piece of paper on her office wall with her dreams spelt out against a timeline so that she can look at it every day and check she is moving towards her dreams. I use the process of visualisation when I am facing tricky situations both in and outside of work. I visualise how I will be successful – what I will say, do, what it will feel like and how I will handle any challenges that occur. This then gives me the confidence to go into the situation feeling positive and centred, which in turn affects my behaviour and the environment creating a successful outcome.

Dealing with setbacks – nowadays all the literature about learning and development includes information on dealing with relapses, setbacks and failures. Rather than fearing failure or problems - which can even stop us from getting started - it is better to recognise that failure and setbacks can provide valuable feedback on what we need to do differently in order to achieve success. This feedback can act as fuel to create our future successes.

‘Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without loosing your enthusiasm.’ Winston Churchill

Stepping back, assessing progress, deciding where to go next – One thing I have found useful, especially when juggling lots of projects, is to take regular steps back from everything. Assessing how things are going, what needs to be done to move forward, and re-prioritise where necessary. Yet we often get so caught up in either the excitement or stresses of life we feel we have not got time to do this. Personally I know that whenever I say to myself ‘I’ve not got time to stop and step back’ is just the time when I need to. If this is done regularly it can be quick and can help keep you on track.

Would you benefit from stepping back right now? When can you take the time out to do this?

May Inspire will have Part Two of ‘What makes a successful life?’

Want more Inspiration? If you want to create more success in your life, at work or in your business we can offer consultancy advice, 1:1 support, and group workshops  to assist you in doing this. Just call 01865 377334 or email mg@grovelands.org.uk to arrange a time to speak in confidence. For more information about Grovelands visit our website: www.grovelands.org.uk.  

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