Success.

What does that really mean? And what do we mean when we say, “I want to be successful?”

Unless you live on a different planet than I do, you can hardly go a day without someone - either you or someone you know - talking about it.

As much as people talk about it, have you noticed that no one really knows what they actually mean? Or they borrow someone else’s definition of success and pin it on their own career goals and personal action plans.

I often hear my clients talking about the success they want to achieve. Success they desire in a number of areas - their business, career, health, relationships, etc. Yet, no matter the goal or the person sharing the goal, I have noticed a trend.

Many high-achievers and motivated people unconsciously (or sometimes even consciously) adopt bad definitions of success. And use that definition to beat themselves up if they don’t achieve success. Many of the definitions of success I hear from clients, colleagues or friends (and sometimes even myself) are one of the following:

* unrealistic
* impossible to complete
* wholly dependent on the actions of others
* vague and difficult to measure
* based on someone else’s standards or measurements of success

I would like to propose two alternative definitions of success. Two standards that are not only realistic, but achievable. And inspiring, so that you actually feel motivated to take action. This is certainly not an exhaustive list. Just a start…here we go:

#1 - Define Success Based on What You Can Measure

It is critical to your daily success that you pick a specific way to measure and track your success towards a certain goal. Otherwise, you might as well be aiming for a moving target.

If you are wanting to grow your business, you might design a game in which you track the number of calls you make a day to potential clients. If you are looking for a new career, it might be the amount of hours you spend each week networking and researching new companies. If you are wanting to improve your health and fitness, it might be the number of workouts per week.

You get the idea. Why chase a moving target when you can go for a shot you KNOW you can hit?

#2 - Define Success Based on What You Can Control

It’s not enough to have something you can measure - it must also be something within your control.

Before I started my coaching practice, I worked as a recruiter. In that job, I had to find candidates for the practice opportunities our company represented. But, every time I tried to measure my success based on the number of interviews I set or “deals I closed,” I invariably felt frustrated. Why?

In the end, I had absolutely NO control over whether my candidate would agree to an interview or agree to take a job. Sure, my job was to convince them to interview, but that was something THEY had to decide. When I based my daily successes on outcomes that were beyond my control, I set myself to play a losing game. But, on the days that I measured my success on something that I could control - the number of times I picked up the phone - I had a successful day.

So, whether you are growing your business, searching for a new career or wanting to be more in shape, this principle applies. Choose to measure your success by the actions you can control - and not the outcome you desire.

The result?

Not only will you feel more confident, but you experience great successes on a regular basis.