I’m not a #1 bestselling author. I don’t have a thousand subscribers to this blog. I’m not a member of a country club or invited to the hottest parties in town. I don’t jet-set nor do I have a rock-hard body. I can’t easily take a vacation and I gulp every time a new dance fee or medical bill comes in the mail.

For me success is not WHAT I DO, but WHO I AM, yet I fall into the same cultural traps as the next person. Fame, money, awards, the WHAT IF game. Yes, I’d love for one of my books to be made into a film, but I’m not going to fall into the trap thinking I’m not a success until then. 

Let’s take back the word success and REDEFINE IT for us, personally. Your definition and mine might be wildly different and that’s okay because this year is about living intentionally and illuminating what makes us uniquely us. This week, I’m putting my awareness on SUCCESS and dropping the labels. I want to know what that looks like TO ME.

I want to SEE those around me and LISTEN more.

I want to EMBRACE NEW OPPORTUNITY and release FEAR.

I want to bring EXCELLENCE to every encounter and endeavor.

I will ATTRACT great ideas, people and opportunities into my life.

Yes, I’ll still set goals but I won’t be CRUSHED at the end of the day with a glance at my to-do list if I did the above things. BRINGING MY BEST SELF to every interaction. Can you imagine? That feels pretty powerful. And if we could do that for ourselves, what might we do for the people we interact with and influence? Our children? Our spouses? Our co-workers?

I’m in awe of this. I like that definition of success for my life. Maybe I won’t burn dinner or forget that I had laundry in the washer. I’ll do what I say I’ll do and BRING IT, whatever IT is that day.

What about you?

Recap of my Get REAL challenge so far:

Get REAL Time – still on technology TOO MUCH but am staying aware. Need to be more stern with myself here.

Get REAL Food – hanging tough. Smoothie every day but when Aunt Flo visits, forget it! Sugar and red meat!

Get REAL Sleep – ear plugs worked until young son was sick and then I couldn’t hear him, then I got a cold. But I’m pretty much sticking to early to bed. Need to drop tech sooner at night and would love to wake earlier to write.

Get REAL Relationships – Being authentic can feel awkward with a person you don’t know well. Interesting. But I’m making time for those who mean the most – but illness gets in the way, big time. Thanks cold an flu season!

NEXT WEEK: Get REAL Exercise (we got this)