What’s the Definition of Success?

Ask yourself, what do you think about when you hear the word “success”. Does fame, wealth, and grandiose visions come to mind? Within healthy boundaries, there is nothing wrong with seeing success from that perspective, however success has two sides to it. We just tend to only acknowledge the “big wins” and overlook the small ones. We also tend to think success is a destination and not a journey. Success is defined as “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose”. Most of probably had definitions far from what was just mentioned. Why is that? A lot of times, our dreams of success are rooted in comparison. “Well Jane is lost 50 pounds so once I lose that amount, I will be successful.” Y’all, if my goal were to compete with Jane, I would disappear because I can’t afford to lose 50 pounds. What I can do, is focus on what’s right for me. If my aim is to lose 10 pounds and I did, I am just as successful as the next person who accomplished their goal. Success is achieved when your intended purpose is accomplished, not that of others. By “your” goal, I really mean the goal you and God are the same page about even if no one else is. Success for you today may look like going for a walk after dinner everyday for 15 minutes, while success for another person may be benching 200 pounds. Sometimes success looks like showing up and having fun. Once you’ve achieved your goal, you create a new aim, a new purpose and you seek to conquer that. Today I challenge you to shift your focus on a “why” that’s grounded in what you envision for yourself. Your why could be to develop consistency, to get stronger or simply to learn to obey God when he says, “Drink nothing but water today”. If I were your coach, I would be just as proud of the person going for a walk after dinner as I would be of the person benching 200 pounds. Success is personal and does not need comparison to thrive. Hebrews 12:1-2 gives us great spiritual encouragement to throw off sinful habits like comparison and run the race that is unique to us. It reads, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us…” This scripture applies in the natural too. Run you race because it’s the only one you have. Now let me ask you again, what’s the definition of success?