"Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts."

It is never a good feeling to be considered a failure by others. But the question is, are you a failure?

Before we answer this, I want you to understand what defines success.

Many people today compare their success with the success of others. But is that what succeeding is all about? Well, I think we all have different journeys and purposes in this life and should be focused on achieving that.

To get more into perspective, a person may consider owning a house as a measure of success, but that is just perception and not a characteristic of successful people. Don't get me wrong, owning a house is important, but it can only be counted as a criterion for success if it is an individual priority or meets one's personal goals. You can agree with me that Jeff Bezos doesn't count owning a house as success (He has tons).

According to so many sources on a simple Google search, Success is the state or condition of meeting a defined range of expectations. If this is true, then we should be looking deeper at what we call success.

In today's world where we have allowed society and peer pressure to influence some of our actions and decisions, it has become inherent in us to always try to live our lives as expected by others. This has done more damages to our dreams and the values we once held.

To be able to conquer this disease and go forward as independent self-thinking humans, we need to first decide what our goals are and map out a plan of how we want to pursue and achieve them. Else we would remain in the shackle of defining our values by what others think.

In this article, I will be showing you some proven habits you need to develop to help you filter the noise and go forward to succeed by the path you defined for yourself.

Who are you?

If a total stranger meets you on the road and asks you this question, can you answer it without really thinking too hard about it? The problem with so many people today is that they don't even think for themselves. They can't even define who they are, what their goals or purposes are, and why they are living. If you can't figure these things about yourself then, unfortunately, I'd say you are lost.

Allow me to take you on a story ride.

A man set out on a journey to another country to find a hidden treasure on a faraway island. To get to that island he must go across the sea with a small boat he had already built previously in preparation for that journey.

He had to paddle his way to the island. While on the journey, he lost his paddle, and not too long after, the sea tide came and began to move the boat in another direction. Because he has lost his paddle, he was no longer in charge of the direction the boat was going. He was lost forever and was rather taken to another island where wolves ate him.

If you can't define your purpose in life, you are like that man. You had good intentions from the start but allowed the noise around you to change your direction. You need to find your paddle and get back that power to decide your path.

You are different.

The only behavioral characteristics we share as humans are the fact we are higher animals. That is it! nothing more. You can agree with me that even identical twins don't behave the same. They don't talk the same and sure don't share the same fingerprint.

This shows that we were all born different from the beginning and should have different paths.

You need to realize this when defining your path. It is easy to be blown away by the tides of expectations if you lose your paddle. You need to stand firm on your decisions to be able to get to your desired destination.

Some journeys take time.

I understand that as humans, We are impatient beings by nature, and we all want quick results. But there is a phrase that says that "Patience is a virtue". It means you have to develop patience.

In your journey to success, there is no definite time of arrival. Some journeys take time more than others do. That doesn't mean that a journey is more important than the other. We just have different arrival periods and should be patient enough to get to our destination.

If you are not patient enough and decide to follow others on their journey, well you will arrive with them but only to find out that you have been on the wrong journey all this while.

Go all the way.

Have you found your path? have you decided to see it through? if your answer is Yes now this is where you need to be more cautious.

A lot of people start a journey but never get to their destination. The road is rough and bumpy and it is easy to have a rethink and decide to abort. But the journey of life is not for the weak.

You need to be aware that many challenges will make you want to discontinue your journey. You need to hold your paddle tight and never allow the tide to decide your direction. You need to go all the way to the end regardless of what others think. Getting to the end of your well-defined path. This is what I call success.

Conclusion

Your success shouldn't be defined by others. You should be in charge of your life and define what you call success. Getting the world is important but actualizing your dreams is more important. This will make you feel more fulfilled than riding in the best yacht or cruising in a Ferrari.

I will leave you with my favorite quote from the movie three idiots. "Pursue excellence, and success will follow"