Success is more often than not measured in monetary terms simply due to the universal way of ascertaining its size, amount, or degree, which makes it easy to compare to or compete with others. The power of money comes from the fact that it is the most common and generally acceptable way of determining the value of things. However, what would you say if I told you that wealth or networth is just one of the six yardsticks in measuring success?
Let’s look at a simple analogy here for better understanding. You need to pass six courses to succeed in a programme. However, you keep beating yourself up for not doing very well in one, for example, Module F, simply because you can easily measure how well you are faring once compared to other people’s scores. Even though you are doing great in the remaining five other modules, you are less bothered or even non-appreciative of them because you have nobody’s scores to compare yours with on those subjects. That is what we do whenever we measure our success in financial terms only.
Although measuring success materially is not wrong, focusing on this yardstick alone is also not the best, because it may make anyone who falls short complain incessantly, become ungrateful, and eventually become depressed. Hence, it is advisable to adopt a holistic approach as it’s somewhat risky to live by measuring success in terms of wealth alone.
Using this approach identifies your areas of success and recommends what you can do to improve things in the next 12 months so that you can record success in those areas you stopped short.
The first way of measuring success is through your values. You can start by asking what your values are. How have you consistently aligned them with your actions? Your success rate in this area is also evident in how well you have discovered your sense of purpose in life. So, having values and never compromising them is a success marker just like knowing your unique life’s purpose. Not having a purpose or any form of value disruption can tamper with peace and harmony in your life.
Lastly, under this category, it is important to have a source from which to draw comfort in challenging times. Life has a way of throwing those punches or should I call them lemons. When it does, what do you do? Asking yourself a few questions about all these goals and making the right moves to achieve them in the next 12 months is crucial.
The second area to measure success is your health. How physically and psychologically healthy have you been in the last 12 months? You deserve a pat on the back for a job well done if you maintained a healthy sleeping habit, ate healthy, exercised regularly, and kept all the doctors’ appointments even when not sick.
As we all know, health is not limited to the absence of diseases but includes a complete mental and emotional state. Therefore, one’s abilities to withstand and recover quickly from difficult situations or conditions, to always look at the positive side of things, to understand self, and to know how well to manage one’s emotions rather than being afraid to show or acknowledge them are a few ways to determine success in this regard.
The third success marker is your relationship or ability to connect with people easily. Human beings are social creatures, so finding it easy to connect with others, especially those with like minds, is a great sign of success. Developing relationships is good but maintaining them is even better. Hence, why we cannot overlook the four-friends-life hack when considering this type of success. This life hack requires you to have at least four close friends you can call upon quickly for favours/support and vice versa. Being successfully sociable, therefore, means having a strong sense of belonging, connection, and support system. So, how successful have you been in this regard in the last 12 months?
The fourth success marker is your cognitive prowess. As much as some people believe it is genetic, anyone can develop this through deliberate efforts. Some ways to achieve this are being happy to learn new concepts to improve your skills and being open to new ideas and experiences. Also, constantly adding to your knowledge bank through reading, certifications, and skill acquisition can make you very productive at work, thereby having a thriving career to be proud of. It may also interest you that experiencing job fulfillment at no cost to other aspects of your life makes you enjoy work-life balance and effective workload management with enough time for yourself and your family.
Finally, there is nothing like success living in a chaotic, unsafe, unclean, or highly polluted environment. A few years ago, a study showed an increase in the value of an area just because of the number of green spaces it had and not necessarily the value of the properties there. This example, like the others listed above, shows how interconnected all these success markers are, which means, it will not only be unfair but also a disservice to others by sticking to just an aspect of determining one’s success. So, this year, try to be environmentally responsible by deliberately enjoying fresh air and green spaces. Also, always take advantage of the good weather to have fun with friends and family. Plant a garden of herbs and shrubs. Enjoy seasonal fruits and vegetables; they are usually abundant in that season for a reason. Lastly, be aware of global warming and climate change, be conscious of your carbon footprints, and maintain a clean and healthy environment.
Call to action
“No matter what hell we go through in life, I am still just madly in love with this life. Life feels really different for me now. I am happier because I don’t stress over foolish little things that used to annoy me. And now, every single day that I breathe another breath, I can celebrate that I’m still here with you. I am here with my co-anchors, my colleagues, my family, and I can live and cry, and laugh, and hope. That, my dear friends, is enough!”
Those were some of the powerful words from CNN news anchor – Sara Sidner after breaking the news of having stage 3 breast cancer this week. She said she’s never been sick a day in her life, doesn’t smoke, rarely drinks, and has no family history of cancer. My prayers are with her as I believe she will pull through and overcome this.
However, considering this and how I’ve been able to suggest you measure your success aside from money. How successful do you think you are now? Kindly give this some deep thought while ensuring you don’t leave things to chance this year.
Opaleye, a wellbeing specialist and corporate wellness strategist, writes from Lagos
