Times have changed. The internet became a dream platform for entrepreneurs and allowed people to re-define their working lives. Success used to be the big job title, the big house, the fancy cars, and dinner parties. Commonly known as the American Dream, it’s what most people in the US was working towards. Today, the American Dream has changed because the lines of success have been blurred. Right now, you are probably wondering what the new definition of success is if not a big house and a lot of money. Well, according to Liz Ryan in her article, Five Signs You Are Successful Whether You Know it or Not, these are the new standards of success.
You can access her article here!
1. Calling the Shots in Your Career
She states that “if you have a fancy job, but you’re afraid to tell your boss the truth because he or she might not like it, you are not successful yet!” I believe that you have to work a bit to earn this privilege if you are just starting out in a new career but the message is clear. If your boss trusts you enough to allow you to work the way you work best, then you are successful, and I completely agree.
2. You Know What You Bring to Employers/Clients to Help Them Be Successful
Have you ever felt like you showed up to work and had no idea the impact you had? Like someone else could easily do your job for you or they could hire someone else to do it? Alternatively, you show up wondering if you are going to have enough work to have a fulfilling work day. Days went by slow, and you did not feel like you were important. I hope you do not have a job like that! It is a terrible feeling. On the other end of the spectrum, it’s a great feeling if you know what you deliver results and are irreplaceable. Because of what you bring to a company, you do not have to let other people tell you what to do! If this is you, then you are successful in your career.
3. Speaking Up When it’s Appropriate
You are not a pushover. You have confidence in yourself, and you know that what you have to say is important. If you are quiet and let other people talk over you or share your idea’s as theirs, then you are not living a successful work life.
4. Allow Yourself to Dream Without Limits
Creating your vision for the life you want to live is important. For me, it creates my reason to get up every day and hope for the life I want to live. If you wake up every single day doing what you do love to do, then you are living your dream. In my opinion, this is the most defining measure of success that a person can have.
5. If You Have People Around You Who Love You
Finding people who truly care about you and believe in your dreams provide you with unlimited potential to succeed in whatever you want to do. Finding individuals who love, you, want the best for you and support your decisions to follow your dreams are far and in between. If you have a support system like this, then you are going to be successful in ways that you cannot imagine.
“You can always get another job if one job goes away. Your career status at any moment does not mean a lot. Your state of mind, your belief in yourself and your passion for your own values mean everything!”
Personally, my family plays a significant role for me because I know that no matter what I do they will support me and if I fail, they will be there to help pick me back up. If I want to try to get a new job or start a new company and it completely tanks, I can always move back home and get my barrings to start over. Having a support system that loves you endlessly provides you with incredible power. It can allow you to take risks that you normally couldn’t and have volunteers to help you at any time if needed.
For me, success is defined by waking up happy and doing what I love every day. I am lucky enough to have time on my side so I can follow my dreams, take risks, and create opportunities for myself. I believe if I work more than 40 hours a week then I am a failure. I am not spending time with people I love, and I am probably going to be less happy with overworking and creating more unnecessary stress for myself. I am not a person driven by money.
Some people are. If you define success by how much money you have in your account that is fine too. Success is subjective to the person, but remember, your health and time are the two most important aspects of this one life you have. If you are sacrificing money for both of those, then it may be time to re-evaluate what success means to you.