Choosing My Own Definition of Success

I saw an article recently that I really liked and that started me thinking about how I choose to define success.  It also reminded me of some advice from Bill Watterson that really spoke to me.

How do we define success?  I think if we're not careful, someone else defines it for us.  I think this may be where some people's mid-life crises come from.  People go along doing what they think they should be doing, and one day realize that they don't know why they did all of that.  They start to question if all that toil actually resulted in the success they wanted to see.

All false modesty aside, I'm pretty good at my job.  I've been offered promotions into higher-level positions by pretty much every boss I've ever reported to.  I may sometimes feel like I'm not totally in the driver's seat myself when it comes to defining what success is for me; but I have always declined those promotions because I knew that climbing the corporate ladder was not it.  It can be difficult when other people are so readily telling us what success should look like.  But I truly believe that real contentment and pride is a result of discovering and staying true to our own definition of success.

I define success as supporting my family by doing something I’m good at and that contributes to something larger than myself; while still having time to hang out with my family.  I’m not interested in a big title or an enormous salary.  I just want to be able to provide for my family without being absent.  I guess I’ve always felt this way even if I haven’t articulated it well in the past, which is why I’ve made the decisions that have led to this point.  It’s also why I’ve never been one to be alright with working insane hours (that, and I’m one of those people for whom productivity suffers if I work too long without breaks).

I think I’m starting to understand why studies have shown that older people are happier.  I think there’s something to getting to know yourself better over time and feeling happier and more content with your choices and the course you choose.  I don't have all the answers and I mess up and choose poorly on a regular basis.  But the overall pattern of choices is consistent with my values of family first.  So today I'm feeling alright with how I've defined success and what I've accomplished.

Just after sunrise this morning