5 Simple Steps to Mastering Success in Business and Life

Have you ever wondered how to become more successful in your business and life? You might look around and ask yourself why some women become ultra-successful and some don’t. That just may be because you’ve never looked at success the way I’m going to present it to you today.

I hear many high achieving, driven women entrepreneurs tell me they want to become more successful, but they don’t have time to fit anything more into their busy schedule. I hear them talking about how they are trying to be more productive, so they can accomplish more in a day. These same women are the ones who are at risk for burnout. They have not been able to identify what success really means to them.

Several years ago, when I was at the height of my professional career, I remember how important it was to me to become more successful. I’d get up at 3:30 am and jump on my computer to keep up with my team who also started working that early on occasion. I’d commute anywhere from 1-6 hours one way, work a full day and drive back home to my family. I pushed myself physically and mentally to be the best in my position and to show my company loyalty. After several years and a bout of illness, I discovered my definition of success. 

Real success is not a graph on which you can compare yourself to others. It’s not a number that relates to your income or assets. It’s not the amount of material things you collect. Success is not your family. Although many people will tell you these things are what makes you successful, success is really a feeling.

Here are 5 simple steps to mastering success in your business and life:

1. Take care of your needs first.

I know this sounds counterintuitive and you’ve likely seen many articles on self-care. There are hundreds of posts on social media about making yourself a priority. If you are not aware of your needs and are constantly trying to make everyone else happy, you will eventually become resentful. People often think success means being responsible, carrying the burden, being there for everyone when they need you or smoothing out conflict. However, when you are focused on others and not on your needs, you become disconnected, overwhelmed, frustrated and often end up with health issues. This is not success. Knowing this, what could you start doing today to take care of your needs first? 

2. Focus on your contribution to the world.

You have innate gifts that you probably aren’t even aware of because they come to you easily. You have natural abilities that allow you to contribute to other people’s lives in ways you may not even imagine. When you are contributing to the world in ways that seem natural and easy, it brings you the feeling of success because contributing in this way is rewarding to you. You may think of contribution as another “to-do” on your list. But when you are serving in joy, you are making a positive contribution to the world. You probably have intentions of being in service with your business. But are you serving in joy? That makes the difference in feeling successful.

3. Maintain good health.

Let’s face it, when your health is poor, your quality of life is poor. When you don’t feel good, it’s difficult to feel successful. Eat whole, clean foods, exercise, enjoy nature, spend time with your creativity, get great sleep, be around inspiring, nurturing people, connect with your higher being and simply focus on your breath. Taking care of your health- your mind, body and spirit and improves how you feel, how much energy you have, your outlook on life and how successful you feel.

4. Spend more time experiencing life.

When it’s all said and done and you’re on your death bed, what do you think you’ll want to look back and remember? Usually it’s not all your accomplishments but rather, your connections. Humans are not meant to be solo-beings. Rich experiences come from the relationships you create and the connections you make. You will likely remember visiting a foreign country and learning about their culture. Perhaps it’s the memory of going on a retreat at a sacred site where you find deep love for yourself. You will likely think about the times you spent with your family. The vacations you took, and your holiday celebrations will be memories you’ll remember instead of how much money you made in your business, what automobile you drove or how many material things you collected. The richness of life comes from different life experiences.

5. Be in joy.

I believe that our purpose here on earth is to find joy, express joy and be a beacon of joy. When you spend more time in joy, you feel successful. You may not be accomplishing productive tasks, but you are nourishing your soul. And this is essential to success. Being a beacon of joy and love is all that is really required of us.  When you radiate love and joy in your entire being, you will naturally be supported. Success will come to you because you’ll understand the definition of the word.

My definition of success is a feeling. Success to me is being able to enjoy my life and be in service to others. Success means a life where I can spend time on my ranch with my husband, horses, chickens, cats and dogs. It’s not having my own business and creating an empire. I’m not against that, if it happens.  However, that is not my end goal that defines a successful business. I define a successful business as one where I get to choose who I get to serve with my gifts. A successful business allows me to generate the income I want to live in comfort, travel, meet new people, spend time with family and have different, rich life experiences.

When I can enjoy good self-care, time with my family, travel, new life experiences, helping and connecting with others and feeling spiritually connected, I know I am being supported and thus have reached success.

How will you define success now, and how will you know when you’ve achieved it?

Article by Lisa Meisels, Lisa is an Online Visibility & Impact Strategist working with women who feel called to share their message and make a big impact in the world.