Define success before you chase it. Clear vision must come before concrete goals.
Have you ever stopped to consider what your definition of success truly is? It may not be as straightforward to answer as you might expect.
Success is deeply personal and constantly evolving. But here's the thing: it's crucial to know your own definition. Without a clear articulation, how will you know how to achieve it, recognize it when it happens, or truly experience the joy of it?
Because success isn't a one-size-fits-all destination, it's worth taking time to reflect on this question.
A few themes keep showing up when people talk about what real success means to them:
Success looks like alignment.
It's when your daily actions match your core values, when you're not constantly fighting against who you really are. Think of the parent who raises children they're genuinely proud to know as people, or the teacher whose eyes light up when students have breakthrough moments.
Success looks like resilience.
Not the absence of failure, but the ability to bounce back from it. It's having failed enough times that you know setbacks aren't endings but redirects. It's treating mistakes as data and not harsh verdicts.
Success looks like relationships that matter.
It's having people you can call at 2 AM, and people who would call you. It's the joy of contributing to others' growth while letting others invest in yours. Because very few meaningful achievements happen in isolation.
Success looks like peace with your choices.
Not perfection, but the quiet confidence that comes from making decisions aligned with your priorities. It's being able to say no to good opportunities because they don't serve your larger yes.
Success looks like growth that never stops.
It's being okay with feeling awkward or uncertain while you figure out who you really are. It's never losing that "what if" spirit, no matter how old you get, and discovering that the more you experience, the more you realize how much you still don't know.
Perhaps most importantly, success means defining it for yourself, refusing to let others' scorecards become your measuring stick. At the end of the day, you're the one who lives with your choices and celebrates your wins.
If you're still figuring that out (and honestly, most of us are), that's exactly where Merity comes in. We don't just help you define what success means to you; we help you create a clear, actionable plan to achieve it. Because knowing what you want is only half the battle. The real magic happens when you have the right tools, guidance, and support to turn that vision into reality.
Ready to start building your own version of success? Let's make it happen together.