It is easy to get caught up in the outward trappings of what many people see as signs of success. We live in a world that often portrays successful people as having the ability to acquire everything they desire and to live a life of opulence and wealth. Certainly, wealth allows us more freedom of choice and opportunity but does that equate to success?
There is truth in the old adage, ‘money can’t buy happiness,’ and if your financial success doesn’t align with what success means to you on a personal level, then what have you actually achieved? Can you maintain longterm business success by chasing trends and by just trying to be better than your competitors? Absolutely not. It’s not possible to have sustainable business success if, at a fundamental level, the value isn’t there.
Value is at the heart of all sustainable success.
Your values are what makes you unique. The only way to really succeed in the long run is to fully and completely embrace and act on your own unique potential. When you pursue your personal best, supported by your own values and passions, you have only your own best to reach for. There is no room for compromise or to be swayed by competitors and current trends. You are charting your own, distinct course to success; driven by your internal desire to define and create success in alignment with your values. When fully engaged and in tune with your values, nothing can stop you from working to achieve the results you desire.
What can you do to achieve longterm success that aligns with your values?
Take time to discover your own unique values and potential. Invest time in understanding yourself better - what are your values, beliefs and your passions? What is your life’s purpose, as you define it?
- Define what success means to you on both a personal level and a business level. Make sure these are in alignment and then seek to continuously improve your natural talents and skills so that you are always striving to be the best you can be, both in your personal life and your business life.
- Share your unique values and skills with others. As renowned leadership coach, John Maxwell said, “One is too small a number to achieve greatness.” You can make a significant and a lasting contribution by sharing your gifts with others. Further, by sharing with others, you will be motivated to continue on your own journey of personal discovery and mastery.
- Aim to make a significant contribution. Seek success that aligns with your personal values and that goes beyond your individual desires to make a positive impact on the people around you, on your community and beyond.
By investing time in understanding your unique values and potential, you will have more confidence, courage and conviction than ever before to bring significant meaning and success to both your personal life and to your business.
“A master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between his work and play; his labor and his leisure; his mind and his body; his education and his recreation. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence through whatever he is doing, and leaves others to determine whether he is working or playing. To himself he always appears to be doing both.”
~ François-René de Chateaubriand
To your Success, Differently,
- Michèle