Why is this question important? One of the most important career and life-planning activities you can engage in is finding your own definitions or models of success. This is vitally important for a number of reasons: If you haven't done this, how do you know what's best for you? How can you make career decisions if you aren't crystal clear about how you define success? How can you be happy if you don't know when you're successful?
If this question is relevant to you right now... There is never a bad time to discover and be clear on your definition of success. Today's economic realities make the timing even better. If your career hasn't gone according to plan, or even if it has, reexamine what it is you actually want. Doing so can make you a lot happier.
Successful -- on Whose Terms? If you haven't taken the time to define it, success has already been defined for you. You're already following models of career and life success. The question is whether they are your own, or ones you inherited. One of your greatest career challenges is identifying goals and definitions of success that are true to you rather than ones you inherited from family, society and other outside forces. Your current model of success may or may not work for you. The important thing is understanding your assumptions and questioning them.
If you follow a path to success that isn't your own, you may achieve your goals, but when you arrive at your destination, you may not feel successful or fulfilled at all.
Keep in mind that your existing job may hold the key to your happiness. For example, if you were to discover that making your customers happy was the one thing that defines and inspires you, what would that do to your focus and state of mind?
Choose Your Own Definition of Success You have the power to reaffirm existing models or adopt new models of success. All it takes is some honest thinking, clarity of purpose and the discipline to stay true to your values in the long run.
Accept There Are Always Alternatives. The very fact that so many of us have not questioned the paths we are on speaks to a lack of awareness or acceptance of alternate paths. There have never been more options or valid ways of defining career and life success.
Examine Your Path. Do you love what you do? Do you do fantastic work as a result? Does your work complement your personal and family life or detract from it? Are you excited about your vision of the future? Is this your best use of your precious gifts and time?
Create Some Quiet, Introspective Time. Ask yourself these questions: What makes me happy? How do I feel? What do I want? And then, answer a question from the coaching school CoachVille.com, ?I know how successful I am by how (fill in the blank)." The answers to this question will point you in the right direction. You can have several definitions of success as long as they don't contradict each other.
Refine Your Responses. Ask yourself ?why?" and ?is that what I really want?" after each response to the statement until each rings true. For example, if your first response was, ?I'll know I am successful when I am a millionaire," ask yourself why you want to be a millionaire. You might, for example, find out that success for you is to have the freedom to use your time as you wish, or the ability to travel or be rid of financial worries. This process may lead you to make other decisions in your life that will help you reach your goal.
Test Your Responses with People Who Know You Really Well. Do they ring true?
One definition of success that puts this philosophy into simple words comes from American author Christopher Morley, who wrote:
?There is only one success -- to be able to spend your life in your own way."
Being clear about how you define success will reap immeasurable rewards.
If they say, we don't have a visionary, then move on quickly to your next interview.
No visionary talent? No leader? You don't want this employer as your future career choice or you'll be searching again soon.
Companies flounder, lose market share, end up bankrupt or worse because no leader is leading the way by working ON the business.
A company's net worth and stability are very important to their leader, the visionary with the smarts to make good decisions for your future career choice.
Do you know what I mean? Stealing company funds is not the sign of a leader or visionary, so be aware that such happens often where you'd least expect it.
A few years back, we saw white collar crimes happening from "inside" the executive suites. You'll never enjoy your dream job by joining a firm with dishonest leaders, owners or management staff.
I'm confident that you can find your dream job or career choice by using your own visionary talent to uncover some hidden treasures or flaws in most firms.
You have to become a private eye, investigator, even a snoop to dig out the underlying stability or weakness within your future employer as well as the staff, including the executives and owners.
Network through your contact list of friends from college, your alumni group, your church, and more. Where are they working? Are there openings with their employer? Maybe you can get an interview arranged.
INTERVIEWING every competitor in a niche industry is a major KEY to your future success. Ask for an interview with all the firms you can within an industry or niche simply to learn all you can about the future prospects for career stability.
Your head will be spinning with all the insider details gleaned from these interviews with competing firms.
Your first choice for a new employer should be at the end of your current interview process as you learn about the niche industry you've chosen to be in your future. Our #1 goal is to get the inside scoop on what's happening within the ranks, to learn which competitors you don't want as your future employer.
Get educated about what's happening within a niche market, which firms are making money, which ones have been losing their market share.
Some firms in your chosen niche may be experiencing financial troubles, going backwards rather than moving forward, where YOU certainly don't want your career choice to be.
FOCUS ~ SEARCH ~ NEWWORK ~
A SUCCESSFUL COMPANY ~ has a visionary LEADER ~ never work for a firm that only has Managers. Learn the scoop from the inside by keeping your eyes and ears tuned to the internal pipeline.
Use the Internet to do in-depth research once you've begun to focus on a selected niche industry. Get help from a friend if necessary. If you have a mentor or mastermind group then you're way ahead of most folks seeking their career choice or career change in the marketplace.
Both Ian Christie & Don Monteith are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Ian Christie has sinced written about articles on various topics from Careers and Job Hunting, Fitness and Cover Letter. Ian Christie is a career coach, entrepreneur, former Monster.com Sr. Director & former executive recruiter. Ian is a career expert with many published articles and media interviews. Visit. Ian Christie's top article generates over 4400 views. to your Favourites.
Don Monteith has sinced written about articles on various topics from Careers and Job Hunting, Careers and Job Hunting and Careers and Job Hunting. Don Monteith spent 32 years as co-owner of several franchises and a personnel/staffing business. Every year, his firm placed hundreds of job candidates in their dream job. Today, Don shares his business and career expertise through published articles and. Don Monteith's top article generates over 2400 views. to your Favourites.