Why You Are Probably More Successful Than You Think

What defines success to you? Questions like these are thrown around a lot in the personal development world, but this time, I want you to stop and write down your answer. When you do, I guarantee you will find that you are probably more successful than you think.

I had an “Aha!” moment after I finally sat down with myself and wrote down two A4 pages of my own definition of success and what my dream lifestyle looks like. To my surprise, 80% of what I had written down could literally be ‘achieved’ right then and there. I was shocked by what I had learned from DOING this simple exercise. I was already much more successful (by my own definition) than I thought.

Most people spend more time planning their holiday than they do planning for their future, which I like to call, “lifestyle design”.

Before you continue reading, it’s important to remember that knowledge is only power when it’s implemented. With that in mind, let’s start designing your life.

Grab a pen & paper and answer these two questions:

1. What defines success to you?
2. What does your ideal lifestyle look like? Describe it in detail.

Success looks different for everyone. Some people want to drive sleek sports cars and be the CEO of a large corporate company, while others may want to live on a large piece of land and have the time to grow and harvest their own food. There is no right or wrong , it just means that it is important to think about what success means to you, specifically.

If you are not quite sure about what success means to you, then you can start with the second question and write down what your “perfect” day and ideal lifestyle looks like. Remember to go into as much detail as you can and write your answers as if you are currently living your dream life.

Below are some prompts to get you started:

• What does your morning routine look like? Do you wake up and meditate or read a book with a delicious hot coffee in hand?
• What do you do after you wake up? Do you workout first? And if so, what workout do you do? If you eat breakfast first, what do you eat for breakfast?
• What type of clothes do you wear? Do you always look put together and ready for the day even if you plan to just stay at home?
• Does your body feel strong, healthy and full of vitality?
• What is your posture like and how do you carry yourself?
• How do you speak to other people? Are you calm, confident and maintain eye contact?
• What time do you go to bed? What time do you wake up?
• What self-care rituals do you do? And when do you do them?
• Do you get a massage once per month? Or once per week?
• What type of music do you listen to? What books do you read?
• Do you have dinner around the table with your family every night?
• Do you host fun parties or dinners at your house?
• Do you have time to be present, play with your children and go on dates with your partner?
• Do your adult children love spending time with you and do you have fun together?
• Is your home cluttered or clean and organized?
• Do you have a vegetable garden and grow your own food?
• Do you have a holiday home? Or do you travel to different countries every year?
• Do you work remotely or do you work in an office?
• Do you take yourself out to a coffee shop on a random weekday to read a book, drink a hot beverage and eat a croissant?
• How many hours per day do you work?
• Do you have your own business or work for someone else?
• What is your annual income?
• What type of home do you live in?
• What town or country do you live in?

Now, take a highlighter and highlight everything you can start doing/have today that is part of your ideal lifestyle. Do you see how much color is on your page?

I urge you to wake up tomorrow and start your day as your future self would start their day. In fact, you can start right now to walk with a good posture and listen more than you speak next time you interact with someone. Cook dinner and eat it around the table tonight with your family. This weekend, go to the nursery and start that vegetable garden you always wanted. Instead of scrolling on social media tonight, you can brew yourself a cup of herbal tea and drink it as you read a good book. Set your alarm a little earlier tomorrow so that you can meditate etc.

Can you see how much of your ideal lifestyle you are able to live right now? As Ramit Sethi would say, you create your own rich life.

We often wait to earn above a certain income before we allow ourselves to live our dream life. Money is just one of the many factors that are a part of our ideal lifestyle.

Romanticize your life by slowing down and appreciating every moment. There is no point rushing through life as you wait for the money in your bank account to reach a certain number before you allow yourself to feel successful. You can live a lot of your dream lifestyle at the same time as you start that side hustle and work on generating more income.

You are probably more successful than you think, you just need to change your perspective and figure out what success actually means to you.

What can you do today, that you have been waiting to do for when you are “successful”? Let me know in the comments below!