Six Keys To Creating Success On Your Own Terms

We're loaded with varied information and ideas of what a successful life should mean or look like. True, there is no one specific road to success. In fact, success isn't a destination at all. So, why not make a path of your own and taste success in the way that matters most to you. Sure, there are no sure-shot theories of success. What's inevitable, though, is failure. Tasting failure is as important as wanting success. Because that's how you really know what you want and how strongly you want it.  

But what is there to chase? Who decides who is in the race and who is not? Chasing the forever moving target of achievement costs us too much. And it's ok to not want to pay the price for everything just because someone else is willfully ready to.

There is no end to the ladder that we all climb every minute of every day. What's important, therefore, is every step of the path that we're taking up the ladder, which makes us better and helps us evolve. A path where our happiness, relationships, needs and health would matter and be aligned with our achievements. Also, where our work, whatever it ends up being, would support rather than disturb the quality of our life.

Here are six keys to creating success on your own terms

1. Define your own idea of success

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Every person’s definition, level and understanding of success varies. If you’re under an assumption that success is the next big thing put in front of you by others, you’re going wrong in multiple ways. Because it isn’t. Do not let others determine your idea of success; instead determine what you want success to feel like. No denying there’s always something next to achieve, what you specifically want to achieve and in what manner, is what matters most. So, consciously stop and ask yourself what you feel.

2. Know what YOU want and Map your path

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Mapping your path significantly relies on figuring out what you really want. It's crucial to understand what holds meaning to you, which will not only define your success, but also happiness. There are no right or wrong answers. The only right answer is that which will help formulate a path. Once you are clear with where you want to go, you need to figure out how. Yes, easier said than done. However, this is the only way. Good, if you're already on your path. If not, don't be afraid to make some changes. Mapping your path in a particular direction will solve half your problems. This will not only help you personally, but also help motivate you, your team and people you're dealing with.

3. Enjoy your present - understand that you're enough, too

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Stop pushing yourself through stuff that you don't enjoy just for the sake of achieving something. That's not how it works. You need to understand that opportunities lie in the "now".  It is what we're doing each day that counts and to be able to enjoy each day and make a difference is what leading a successful life means. It's ok to not have clarity. There are going to be bad days; but there's a lot of learning and that's another criteria in adding up to a meaningfully successful life. Also, know that you're enough already. Yes, you need learn more to achieve more, but you need to accept who you are and value it each day. No one ever feels enough, but understanding one's worth without seeking validation from surroundings is enough to make you feel whole.

4. Stand in line for what you truly believe in

Once you have defined what success means to you, you need to find the courage to stand firm in that. The courage, you already know, comes from within. This is a pretty huge space you're functioning in, therefore, there will be numerous evaluations made on what you must deliver and how. Access your current ideals and follow them. Your responsibility, all this time, should be towards your goal and your beliefs on how you should achieve it. That's where it all begins and ends.

5. Stop comparing - cancel the noise 

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Once you are clear on what kind of work you want to do and what you want to create, there will be thousand other ideas on how you should do it. Listen, observe, understand and act wisely. Fail and get up, again and again. The only thing you must remember is not to stop. Take a break, revamp, energise, reflect or even change, but do not stop. It's important, however, to know when to stop listening. Ignore all external and internal negativity that distracts you from being happy, finding your purpose and achieving it. These things can change your life and negativity does not change anything for the good. Cancel the noise that pushes you back.

You will read blogs, just like this one, subscribe to talks, have conversations with family and friends or stroll through social media -- it's all needed but do not follow everything religiously. Understand the positives you can grasp from all of it and add them to your map. Overlook the negatives that pull you down. There's nothing called overnight success. Therefore, patience will come into play in this department. Be patient with your ideas, failures and change.

6. Strive on dreams and value reality

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Isn't it all about dreams? What we dream for ourselves and our life to be? Remember, success to a major extent means pursuing the dream and living it. There isn't much difference between dreams and reality. The only difference is the conversion of the former into the latter. Valuing your reality and accepting it, no matter what, is a major step in the way of success. Dealing with what's already present in your life and shaping it into a better version of what it already is will make all the difference in the world. There's always a choice. We can choose what to focus on and what to eliminate. Therefore, why not focus on things that add value to our lives, instead of the things that bring us down?

So, people, take your power back and define your own mantra of success. You know what you need to do, for you. No one could possibly know that better than you. Take time to understand and then move on, because the answers lie on the path that you create for yourself. Listen to that inner voice to be able to live life on your own terms. That's when you'll feel the most happy. It's your personal responsibility to create your own happiness. Success, as you know, is pretty much the same then.

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