Last Updated on by Michael Brockbank
In reality, being successful in any task is nothing more than the perception of an individual. Even when it is generally believed that something is a failure, it may actually still be considered a success. It all depends on how someone views the end result. Personally, I don’t believe a failure can actually be called as such as long as you learn from the experience. So, what can be called a true victory in your life?
Refining Your Vision of True Success
I see too many people having skewed visions of what they believe to be success. For the most part, they often have the mindset that society determines what this is. Instead of relishing in their own achievements, they often see themselves as a failure because of labels society places on accomplishments.
Here is what I mean.
Trying to Please Others
A lot of people will put effort in certain tasks to validate themselves with others. You see this all the time when children play sports or instruments they don’t like simply because the parent wants them to. Adults do this all the time as well as many of us go to great lengths to make someone else happy.
In many situations, trying to please others takes its toll on us. Sacrificing your goals and dreams is a common practice, but it can go too far. Eventually, you could wind up a shell of a person who sits at his or her desk all day staring at a computer screen trying not to burst into tears.
I’m not saying that pleasing others will make you unsuccessful. However, it does take away from the things you want to do that can benefit your life as a whole. When you accomplish a goal, is it to please yourself or others?
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Putting a Dollar Amount on Success
Some will place the level of success on a project based on how much money it makes. Now, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing as long as that was the intended goal. For instance, if a phone manufacturer has a goal to sell a certain number of units. But is that really a good judge of a product?
What if the manufacturer simply wanted to put a smile on the face of consumers? Even though sales may be paltry, the company can still see it as a success if a handful of people enjoy the item.
Here’s another example. I try to operate three different blogs. All of them are monetized, but none of them make a significant amount of money. However, I enjoy writing and sharing my experiences with readers. Are these sites failures because I don’t bring in $1000 per month, or are they successes because they allow me to do something I really enjoy?
People will have different views between what is successful or not in the business world. It’s all a matter of perception for both consumers and company executives. The same can be said in the realm of freelancing. If you attract one client who completely loves your work, then you are a success in their eyes…even if others don’t like your abilities.
Improving Social Status
Social status is another one that people gauge success on. And again, it’s all a matter of perception to each individual. This is especially relevant in today’s world given the state of politics in the United States. Never has this country been so divided in the last 150 years.
Let’s take my websites again as an example. Over the course of the last few years, I’ve had a few visitors here and there. However, I may never see the number of visitors from the top performing websites on the Internet. Does that mean these sites are failures? Not really. Because it’s not my goal to be in the top 10.
The goal of all my blogs centers around helping someone with a problem. If I am able to answer just one visitor’s question about the topic, then I consider the website to be a success. And that is all that really matters. How you feel about the task you are trying to complete.
I hate jumping into politics, but here is another case in point. Many people view Donald Trump as a narcissistic, ego-maniacal, misogynistic, inexperienced, corporate boot-licker who has no business being the President of the United States. However, others view him as a superhero who will bring a new beginning to the country and save it from the brink of collapse. Success or failure, it’s all in a matter of the perception of the individual.
What Makes a Project Successful to You?
Before you judge yourself too harshly on events or projects, sit back and take an honest perspective of reality. This is where things can get a bit difficult…not everyone likes the idea of being honest with themselves. However, it has potential to improve how you view things around you and life in general.
Your Own Approval
In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t really matter what others think of you or the tasks you complete. As long as you have satisfaction with the end results, you are capable of viewing it as a success. Although there are small components to things that may need work, it’s all in the matter of your own view.
Case in point. I am just a few chapters away from finishing one of my largest pieces of fiction on Wattpad. I know I still need to work on my style and story development, but it’s still pretty amazing that I am so close to actually finishing a project. Once it is done, I will view it as a success even if nobody likes or reads the book.
This is because my end goal is to completely finish a more serious single project.
Taking Pride in Your Goals
Another way to accept success is taking pride in the goals you achieve. This also helps to boost your own sense of self-worth and confidence. Pride isn’t a bad thing until you take it too far.
Once I finish writing VII, there is no doubt that I will have quite the swell of pride in my accomplishment. If the book turns viral, awesome. If it doesn’t, I still see it as a success because I was able to finish writing it.
And it’s this pride that will fuel my future drive to learn more about writing and developing my material. I may never be on the New York Times Bestseller list, but that’s not going to stop me from my dream of having a book on my shelf with my name on the spine. To me, that is success.
Being Comfortable with Your Actions
You can also experience success by being comfortable with your actions. This is often connected to having ethics and morals. If you don’t do something because you are uncomfortable with the situation, then you may experience a sense of accomplishment. It’s all about being true to yourself and having faith in your abilities.
Here’s another example. I may not be a household name in terms of horror or science fiction writing. However, I am quite successful as a ghostwriter in the circles I am in. I’m one of the go-to writers big companies come to when they need help creating content ranging from blogs to product descriptions.
I am comfortable in the idea of being good at what I do.
To wrap this up, it’s all about how you view yourself and your abilities that will dictate true success. Your perception will not be the same as everyone else, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Just realize that not everyone will view accomplishments in the same way. Like I’ve been telling my clients for more than a decade, “You can’t please 100% of the people 100% of the time.”
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