Redefining Success is the First Step Toward Achieving It

In my experience, I have found that few people actually take the time to figure out what success is for them. Many mistakenly assume it’s universally defined, as though everyone on the planet has the same aspirations and keeps score in life the same way. Many others operate on the flawed assumption that someone else has the right to impose his or her personal view of success upon them.

While some people think success means attaining the goals that have been set for them by others—whether by their families, their managers, the media, or societal norms and expectations—others think success means following in the steps of those successful people who preceded them. Still others are blinded by the intoxicating sparkle of fame and fortune as the measure of true success.

Fully two-thirds of the American workforce does not feel a deep connection to the work they do; they are simply going through the motions, day in and day out.

Back in 2014, Strayer University and Ipsos, a global market research firm, conducted a survey to find out what success means to Americans. Fully 90 percent of those surveyed said that success is more about happiness than power, money, or fame. (In fact, only one in five respondents felt that monetary wealth is what defines success.) In addition, 67 percent felt that success means achieving personal goals, while 60 percent believed that success is loving what you do for a living.

The problem is that relatively few people have the courage to look deep within themselves to get to the heart of what true success means to and for them. Granted, there are many people on the planet for whom success lies almost exclusively in making sure that their families have enough food to eat, clean water to drink, and adequate shelter. But for those of us who have the opportunity to choose what we want to be when we grow up, it behooves us to choose our life’s path in a way that allows us to pursue and accomplish our unique definition of success, rooted in our sense of purpose and core values. This isn’t just for the well-heeled Ivy Leaguers among us. This is something that everyday people can—and should—do.

For many of us, it’s a struggle to clarify how we define success for our lives, not to mention how we pursue it. And when we don’t, the consequences for our careers—and our lives—can be devastating.One of those consequences comes in terms of how we show up to work every day. Gallup has tracked employee engagement—the extent to...

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