I have been struggling with how to answer this question for almost a week now. I have been going back and forth between thinking that there is a universal answer to this question and thinking that the answer is circumstance-specific. By circumstance-specific, I mean, for example, what makes a day at work a success? Or what makes a first date a success? I have been wondering whether thinking of success as it applies to specific identifiable situations is how to best define "success." After tossing this question around I think I have come to think that "success" for me involves a mix of universal and circumstance-specific thinking, in that to me, "success" has layers.
A successful day at work for me tomorrow would be to attack a stack of paperwork that has been staring at me for weeks, waiting for attention. But in general, in my professional life, no matter what my particular job is, success for me means making a difference in the lives of others. Even if its just one life, even if its just one small positive step forward, that is a result of my work. Similarly, today I considered my yoga practice a success because I was able to do a particular balance pose for the first time ever, even though I only held it for 2 seconds! But in a broader sense, a successful yoga practice for me means being able to integrate the focus, the confidence, the strength and the peace of my yoga practice in the studio into my every-day life outside of the studio.
The result of thinking of success in this way means that it is impossible for me to define in one page or probably even one sitting, because there are so many circumstances to consider, all of which have broader implications. So, "success" to me is layered - it is defineable by minute, hour, day, week, month, year, lifetime, depending on the part of my life to which it applies.
I have been struggling with how to answer this question for almost a week now. I have been going back and forth between thinking that there is a universal answer to this question and thinking that the answer is circumstance-specific. By circumstance-specific, I mean, for example, what makes a day at work a success? Or what makes a first date a success? I have been wondering whether thinking of success as it applies to specific identifiable situations is how to best define "success." After tossing this question around I think I have come to think that "success" for me involves a mix of universal and circumstance-specific thinking, in that to me, "success" has layers.
A successful day at work for me tomorrow would be to attack a stack of paperwork that has been staring at me for weeks, waiting for attention. But in general, in my professional life, no matter what my particular job is, success for me means making a difference in the lives of others. Even if its just one life, even if its just one small positive step forward, that is a result of my work. Similarly, today I considered my yoga practice a success because I was able to do a particular balance pose for the first time ever, even though I only held it for 2 seconds! But in a broader sense, a successful yoga practice for me means being able to integrate the focus, the confidence, the strength and the peace of my yoga practice in the studio into my every-day life outside of the studio.
The result of thinking of success in this way means that it is impossible for me to define in one page or probably even one sitting, because there are so many circumstances to consider, all of which have broader implications. So, "success" to me is layered - it is defineable by minute, hour, day, week, month, year, lifetime, depending on the part of my life to which it applies.