How Do You Define Success?

The answer to this question really gets to the heart of our career and life goals.  When I'm coaching people through a job search or career exploration who are not sure of their next step, I give them an exercise in which they write down their top three proudest accomplishments at different points in their life, going all the way back to childhood.  This tends to reveal patterns or underlying themes that they may not have been aware of or may have lost touch with, including a long-held but forgotten dream.  It also builds self confidence as they see how much they actually have accomplished. 

Some of my proudest accomplishments included organizing a backyard bazaar and donating the proceeds to charity, winning an art contest, and making the CYO softball team (grammar school years); winning a writing award from the National Council of Teachers of English, making the varsity cheerleading squad, and receiving a citation for my volunteer work (high school years); learning to ski downhill on intermediate slopes, finishing my college degree at night, and breaking into the advertising field (in my 20s); making a career change into fundraising, traveling to England (where I drove on the opposite side of the road), and delivering the eulogy at my mother's funeral (in my 30s); and taking a 9-month unpaid sabbatical, hiking in Utah and Oregon, and starting my own business (in my 40s).

What did these successes mean to me?  Achieving a goal I set for myself, helping others, taking a risk and stepping outside my comfort zone, expanding my horizons, and receiving recognition for my talents and accomplishments -- all of which relate directly to my coaching and consulting work.

How do YOU define success?