How Do You Measure Success?

You know, when I usually sit down to write, I have a purpose. Maybe it’s a sales letter, or a technical article. You know something with a topic? When I was asked to write for JDT Unbound, I was told I had free reign to cover any subject matter that interested me at the time. When I sit down and peck away aimlessly, I surprise myself sometimes with the things I come up with.

Like messages in bottles, we live our lives riding the waves of circumstance.

Tossed this way and that by unexpected developments, our secret hope is to be plucked from the ocean by a strong and purposeful hand. Discovered.

Human beings have a need to belong. They need a purpose, a direction, a plan. But these are treasures that few drifting bottles can boast. Most simply go with the flow and have no answer when asked how they will measure success.

You've always known that you can be, and do, whatever you really want. Sadly, very few people know what they want.

Embarrassed as I am to admit it, I’m one of them, but until just recently, I wasn’t aware of that fact. I was meeting with my tax advisor and we discussed the performance of our retirement plans, kid’s college funds, and potential exit strategies for the day I retire (assuming I don’t die at the lab!). Then she asked me the BIG question. What do you want to do with the rest of your life?

“Um, live long enough to see my kids be successful, and maybe have grandchildren?”

“Um, 21 day safari in Tanzania?”

She suggested my wife and I sit down and make a list, and prioritize it, and set some dates as goals. Just like I do for my business! What a novel idea! Too bad it took 45 years for me to get started!

What will be your message to the world? What fingerprint will you leave on it when you're gone? What is your "someday" goal? Do you have a North Star, a guiding hope that helps you choose the correct way at each turning? Or have you fallen into the glassy-eyed stupor of living "one day at a time" like I seem to have done?

Success cannot be measured in dollars. Neither can it be measured in health or longevity of life. To say that your goal is "happiness" is far too vague an answer.

So how will you measure success? How will you recognize it when it arrives?

I’m working and my list and it’s a lot harder than I thought it would be.