How do you measure success

[mikethetile]

I have to admit to lifting this question from a us forum

there was some interesting replies, everyone measures success differently

how do you measure yours and how would you be more successfull

 

[united]

That's a very good question I used to ask this when interviewing for new staff.

I have so many different measures of success, if I look back at a job I have finished I know weather it was a success or failure by gauging the customers response but If you ask if my life is a success then I can't answer that yet as I haven't got to an age where I want to measure yet.

If you double your failures then you are successful

I look forward to the reading some of the replies to this

 

[albyshellshear]

I recon I measure success on happines in eveything, if your happy with what you have got or achieved then to me you are a success.

 

[Dan]

I'd have said a tiling business is successful when you know you can pass it down the family and it serves your children/child as well as it did you.

If you know you have plenty of work on and all your customers keep calling you back I'd say that you're successful.

From a materialistic point of view I'd say your business is successful if it's enabled you to have a nice family home and you pay all the bills on time and still have some left over to spend on good times, an annual holiday and whatever else takes your fancy. Perhaps a mid-life-crisis car and a nice wig when you go bald.

Fact of the matter is you do this for a living so if you're living well, it's working.

 

[doug boardley]

I'm with alby on this, I measure success by the feel good factor that your business gives yourself and those associated with it.

 

[jimbob]

One word: MONEY!!!

I know that sounds very shallow and materialistic, but if you are making good money then your work or the service you provide is obviously (9 times out of 10) good quality, and if you're knocking out good quality work then (9 times out of 10) you'll be happy in what you are doing.

 

[Aston]

as mr shell shear says

the defination of success.....is you how happy you feel in each area of your life..

the good thing about getting older is it reveals more. if i look back to 25 and ask what i thought success was, then it would have been, money, popularity, flash car, blonde, oh and plenty of money lol....

if i look back to 35, id have said, successful business, having my mother back, nice house, nice car, still a bit of popularity , the wife looking good and the kids getting everything they need..

now i am 41, happiness to me is health, what i stand for and my family...all of that is priceless and is what i call success..

money is easy come easy go
popularity is only good if it inspires others to do well
and you can achieve anything in life if you are realistic and put the work in and more importantly enjoy it.....

as one person said, 'success needs to be prepared for. you must be ready for it,, in order to know how to use it???...........success is not an outcome, its what it makes of you along the way! success is how you feel...

 

[united]

very wise words Ed

 

[jimbob]

Yes, wise words, but I wonder if the answers "health" and "Happiness" can be thought of as measures of success, which is what the original question asked.

Happiness maybe, but there are some people who suffer forms of depression through no fault of their own, but I would not label them failures because of it.

Likewise health, which is at least partly down to good fortune. Someone who becomes ill should not deem it an indication of their success in life, as they to a large degree have no control over it (putting aside healthy diet, exercise etc)

People who are healthy and happy I would say are blessed rather than successful.

I think I was perhaps a little hasty in stating "money" as my answer earlier - I have had a change of heart. My response now would be someone who gets up every day and gives the best they can under whatever difficult circumstances they live their lives, irrespective of their level of physical achievements.

To use poker as an analogy..."Life is not about getting a good hand, but about getting a bad hand and playing it well."

 

[Aston]

hi jim

we all have different meanings to things in life....success and how you measure it is definable by the individual..i just gave you my interpretation thats all..
i dont think i'm wise, just a normal everday man who does their best and looks for the positives in every area of my life. i do that because i understand their are people with problems that i aint got, so i consider my self grateful thats all mate :0)

i could be the richest man in the world with everybody telling me how good i was. does that equaly success. No, not to ,me...anyway, i'll step aside now because their must be lots of people on here with interesting views on this thread

 

[faithhealer]

With Alby, if you enjoy each working day you can't ask for much more. Having people you have only known for a week write great letters of recommendation speaks volumes.

 

[White Room]

I've never been well off, never owned my house, buy and drive my brothers ex cabs that have over 200,000 miles on the clock, cars ar'nt a big thing with me.

I've had some great times and that means more than worrying about other issues in life, my maggie is the dogs nuts and I'm happy with my life.

Mistakes I have made big time but I'm so laid back I could fall over when standing up, could be an age thing though.

 

[Ajax123]

Wow - this is a deep thread for a Friday night....

Success is surely simply measured by how closely your acheivements match your goals. It may be money, it may be happiness, it may be good health it may be the antithesis of all of these. It is easy to get money but would you be happy doing it....it is easy to be miserable but would you get rich doing it.

Success is a really subjective concept. I think your goals define your level of success in a sociological context.......trouble is if you are not careful your perception of success can define your goals whether you are in exhultaion or depression. That is the bad road IMO.....

 

[doug boardley]

I've never been well off, never owned my house, buy and drive my brothers ex cabs that have over 200,000 miles on the clock, cars ar'nt a big thing with me.

I've had some great times and that means more than worrying about other issues in life, my maggie is the dogs nuts and I'm happy with my life.

Mistakes I have made big time but I'm so laid back I could fall over when standing up, could be an age thing though.

so how long have you known me Mark?

 

[doug boardley]

success is where you draw the line in the sand...... not where people expect you to draw it (imo)