How Do You Move From Success to Significance?
How do we move to a different beat when we live in a society that amplifies the drive for success louder than anything else?
If you come from a family like mine that is more concerned with the alphabets after your name than the substance of your soul, you’ll understand the effort it takes to redefine success on your terms!
My older brother was brilliant by any yardstick. He aced his classes and was admired for his mental agility. I lived under his shadow for most of my childhood until it got too cold.
What does success mean for you?
I went on to university and excelled in Economics — much to everyone’s surprise. I wanted the taste of financial success. I was lucky because I loved the field of economics! And it opened enormous doors for me to succeed.
After twenty-five years as a financial advisor teaching rich people how to get richer and accumulating some of the finer things in life-two houses, three cars, and two failed marriages, I could no longer ignore a calling to do something of greater significance to make an impact on the lives of others.
Where do you start?
What’s the difference between success and significance? In his 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, John Maxwell describes success as “when I add value to myself,” but “significance is when I add value to others.”
What motivates your behavior-success or significance?
How do you pivot towards significance if you’ve spent your life chasing a socially prescribed idea of success? Success and making an impact are not mutually exclusive. You can make an impact and be successful at it.
But how do you make significance your primary motive instead of success? Would you still value significance if you never succeed? Or do you define success as the level of value you add to the lives of others?
Here is how to pivot from success to significance.
- Question your definition of success.
- Create a vision for your life that is larger than yourself.
- If your job is not giving you great satisfaction, look for greater meaning in your work. If you can’t, move to #4.
- Would you still do the same job if you had all the money you needed? If you wouldn’t, then what would you be doing? Is money the only reason for staying at your job?
- Create a realistic plan to do something you would find more meaningful. If you are thinking of setting up your own business, list all the steps to get you started. Give yourself a realistic timeline.
- Do something daily to get you closer to your new purpose.
- Start executing the steps on the plan.
Our work is not the only place we can find significance. We can find purpose and meaning by volunteering. Contributing can start with your community.
But if you are compelled to do something beyond the scope of your work, then you must not ignore it. If you are serious enough about it, you can accomplish your outcome with focus, determination, and a plan — making a significant contribution to this world.
Related Articles
If You Had The Life, You Wanted, What Would Today Look Like?
10 Life Lessons About Money & Living The Life You Want
7 Ways to Amplify Your Passions
How To Monetize Your Message: Blogging For Success
The Meaning Of “Man’s Search For Meaning” by Viktor Frankl
Join Medium for $5 a month, enjoy thousands of articles, and get paid to write. Sign up HERE. If you sign up using this link, you can support me and others as a fellow writer. I will receive a portion of your Partner Program membership fee for the referral; however, it will NOT increase your membership cost.
