The Definition Of Success

How do you measure success? It's not made up of dollar signs, says the late Zig Ziglar, famed author and speaker. No, success is much more than having money, power, or business success.

Here are the eight things that Zig Ziglar says success is:

1. Knowing that you did a great job when you close the door to your office at the end of each workday and head for home.
2. Having a home and people to love who love you in return.
3. Having the financial security to meet your obligations each month and the knowledge that you have provided that security for your family in the event of your demise.
4. Having the kind of faith that lets you know where to turn when there seems to be no place to turn.
5. Having an interest or hobby that gives you joy and peace.
6. Knowing who you are.
7. Taking good care of yourself and waking up healthy each day.
8. Slipping under the covers at the end of the day and realizing with gratitude that, "It just doesn't get much better than this!"

I often say to my friends and close business associates that it's not what we don't know that is holding us back in life, it's the fundamentals that we already know and look past that keeps us from the lifestyle that we seek. 

Thanks, Zig for giving us words that we can come back to over and over to help keep us on course as we journey through the game of life.

3 Components to Small Business Success

I was recently asked what one thing separates the entrepreneurs who succeed from those who ultimately fail. I thought for a moment and answered with a single word - adaptability. Since that conversation, I've given considerable thought to the question.

I've actually identified three major components to small business success. The first is passion.  If you have a strong enough belief in a product, service or business concept that you are willing to step out from the crowd and publicly stake your claim and begin chasing down your dream, you've got passion.  Passion is energy! It's attitude and belief.  Passion is fuel for the entrepreneurial spirit. If you lose your passion, your out of gas.

The second component is Vision.  You have to be able to look into the future and know where you want to take your company and what it will look and feel like once you get there.  Visualizing a future checkpoint is only half of the equation though.  The big miss for many would-be entrepreneurs is also to have a vision of the hard work, the challenges and the climb to the summit.  If the passion remains strong, then the vision becomes clearer, and the day-to-day climb becomes enjoyable.

The third and final component is determination.  As a small business owner, your commitment to your passion and your vision will be tested regularly.  Randy Pausch, in his last lecture titled Achieving Your Childhood Dreams said this, "The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something.  The brick walls are there to stop the people who don't want it badly enough."

Being determined enough to run into the wall harder and harder isn't always the answer.  Sometimes you need to figure out how to get over or around the wall, and that brings us back to adaptability.  Determination and adaptability work together a lot like a teeter-totter.  It's the ups and downs that make it a game and keep it interesting.  

In summary, it's passion that fuels the engine, vision that provides navigation and steering along the way, and your determination to stay on the road until you reach your destination that makes you successful in business.