What is success to you?

What does your college degree mean? Its means you got an education, you’ve expertise in the subject you’ve specialized. But what is its worth in the job market? Now some of you have already a job lined up. You’ve got path where today’s job is going to become tomorrow’s career. But for most of you, the future is probably still pretty fuzzy. And you don’t have that job that directly reflects the degree you just got. Many of you don’t even have a job at all. Think of it, you just have completed your scholastic educational curriculum in life that you started when you were five years old in kindergarten up until now. And your future may not be any clearer as it was five years ago. You don’t have the answers and it’s probably pretty damn scary. And that’s okay. Because that’s how it is. This is the reality that many of you are facing.

Life is not easy. It is not. Don’t try to make it that way. Life is not fair. Never was it, isn’t now. And it won’t ever be. Do not fall into the trap. The entitlement trap feeling like you’re a victim. You’re not. Get over it and get on with it.

So, the question you’re going to ask yourself is, what success is to you? Is it more money? That’s fine. Maybe it’s a healthy family; maybe it’s a healthy marriage; maybe it is to help others; to be famous; to be spiritually sound. Continue to ask yourself that question and the answer may change over time and that’s fine. But do yourself this favor. Whatever your answer is, don’t choose anything that will jeopardize your soul.

Prioritize who you are, who you want to be and don’t spend anytime with anything that antagonizes your character. Be brave, take the hill but first answer that question; What’s my Hill? First, we have to define success for ourselves. And then we have to put in the work to maintain it. Take that daily tally, and keep the things that are important to us in good shape. Where you are not is as important as where you are.

The first step that leads to our identity in life is usually not I know who I am. The first step is I know who I am not. Process of elimination and defining ourselves by what we are not is the first step that leads us to know who we really are. You know the group of friends you hang out with; they might not bring the best out of you. You know they gossip too much or they’re shady. Or the place you go for eating and you know that are not good for health and all the crap that puts weight on you. Or the computer screen right in front of you that keep giving us excuses to not go out and interact with the world and people. All these people, places or things; stop giving them your time and energy. Just don’t go there. Put them down.

And when you do that, you quit going there; you inadvertently find yourself spending more time and in more places that are healthy for you. By process of elimination, you’ll find yourself in front of what is important to you. Knowing who we are is hard. It’s hard to give ourselves a break. Eliminate who you’re not first. And you’re going to find yourself where you need to be. Instead of creating outcomes that take from us; lets create more outcomes that pay us back, fill us with joy. We try our best but we don’t always do our best. Since we are the architects of our own life. Let’s study the habits, the practices and the routines we have that lead to and feed our success. You are the author of the book of your life. Write it in the way you want it to be.