Success. People talk about it all the time; we know who’s successful and who’s not, don’t we? More money, more success, right? More fame, more success. More stuff or more friends, more success.
Well, no, not necessarily. Each of us has his or her own definition of success. It doesn’t matter much what your definition of success is, but it matters a great deal that you actually have defined it for yourself. Why? Because if you don’t know what you want, you’re not going to get it.
Maybe for you, it is making a lot of money, making partner, hanging out your shingle, arguing a case before the Supreme Court. Great, why not? Perhaps you want to do cutting-edge work, make new law, meet interesting people, or do meaningful pro bono work.
How about writing a book, singing in a choir or running a 5K? Too lofty? It could be as simple as making sure you’re home every night to eat dinner with your spouse, the kids and the hamster. Whatever. What’s important is giving it some thought and making sure you’re headed in the right direction. What matters is making sure you’re living a life of your own design, not a life designed by default.
Give it some thought and, while you’re at it, keep a few things in mind. Your goals don’t have to be grandiose. They don’t have to be set in stone; they can (and undoubtedly will) change over time. If you’re not sure what you want in a certain area of your life, start by deciding what you don’t want and go from there.
And for heaven’s sake, don’t base your definition of success on what the neighbors think or what your parents want or the age-old “why can’t you be more like your sister?” This time, it’s all about you.
