Success is a relative term.  Depending on how you look at it, your version of success can be entirely different from that of another’s.  In broader terms, one can say that one has lived a life of success where one has achieved true happiness, fulfillment, contentment, and a more welcoming and open acceptance of life – hurdles, victories, losses, and all.

Now, how to get to the achievement of such happiness, contentment, and all its shenanigans thereabouts is moot and academic.  When you consider what all the great philosophers have been driving at concerning success, everything is relative.  It’s all in your head - figuratively – that whatever you perceive about success and life is all up to you.

What does it Mean to be Successful?

In business terms, to be successful is to achieve the goals you have set for your company - sales targets, customer satisfaction, people empowerment, retention, and, naturally, monetary gains.  Fame can also be part of it – you know, being known as the top brand in such and such.

In any business field, raking in the big bucks is part of the achievement of success.  After all, money is a huge factor in running your business and keeping your people satisfied, although it is not the only factor to consider in maintaining a successful business.

In the business world, the more money you make, the more people will see your company as a successful venture, and the more you will be respected in your field.  However, in a more personal level, this may not contribute much to your personal success.

The Other Side of Success

As mentioned earlier, there is another side of success that a majority of people will find more meaningful and worth every effort to achieve it.  On a deeper level, personal success means that you have achieved what others spend most of their lives chasing after - personal fulfillment and happiness.

Ever wonder why some people you know or have heard of who seem to have everything in life are often the saddest, loneliest bunch?  In this regard, it is true what some of the wisest people have said, money can’t buy happiness.

Since the meaning of success is relative, it cannot be contained in one definition, but perhaps the closest thing we can ever say about success is that it is a fusion of a little bit of everything we have included here, the ratio of which depends on your priorities.