At this point in my life and in my career, I consider myself successful. As humans, we tend to compare ourselves a lot. We compare money, material things, looks – but I find it important to remind myself that I do not need to have what others have in order to deem myself successful. I do not determine my success on money, but rather how far I have grown and how much I’ve overcome to get to the place I am at today.
Someone once asked me, “What is the single most important reason for your success?” I had to think about this for a bit, because I believe a lot of people helped me get to the successful person I am today and a lot of events took place in order for me to get here. But, I really narrowed in and thought to myself: “What did I do to make my life successful?” I decided on a few things.
- I put myself in other people’s shoes.
- I made an effort to understand others’ needs.
- I never quit.
Putting On Other Shoes
Let me start off by saying this – it’s not always a positive thing to put yourself into other people’s shoes. I started to realize this when I lost a little bit of myself. I forgot who I was, what I wanted to do, and who I wanted to be in life and in business because I was so focused on everybody else. However, this has also allowed me to prioritize my team and understand their needs, wants, and their “why” for working hard. For years I have focused on what I can provide my team and how I can give them all of the tools to be happy and successful, because if your team is happy, they want to work hard and help you succeed as well.
I see too many people in too many industries so focused on material aspects in business, and while you do need money to keep a business running, their team is unhappy and they lack the motivation to work hard. Individuals who are too focused on the money and what they can get out of the business tend to not be successful in the long run. I have strived to keep my priorities on the big picture, and that has been a big factor in my and my team’s success.
Understanding Needs
Similar to putting myself in other people’s shoes, I also work very hard to understand others’ needs. This can be a tricky one when you run a business, because we already have a set opinion and view on how things should run and how everything should look. But over the years, I have realized that although my view is important, I could not keep a business running with only my viewpoints alone. I make it a point to understand what my team is also thinking. Understanding their thought process, their ideas, and their needs helps my business flow better in both a creative way and a professional way. Being able to have a mutual understanding of each others’ needs has only led to better business decisions. I consider my team a well-oiled machine that works smoothly and efficiently.
Never Quitting
I know in the past I have made mistakes and wrong decisions, and there have been times that I fail, but I have never given up. I have never let myself quit because I know that I would regret that decision. I learn best from my mistakes, and I continue to grow from it. There have been a lot of learning curves in this business, and I still have a lot to learn. I have gotten knocked down by people who didn’t believe in me, but that didn’t matter to me. I have gotten smarter each time, and this is a lesson I think a lot of people can learn from. It’s no fun, and it’s not easy to admit that you have failed or that you are not as successful as you want to be, but that doesn’t mean your time won’t come. If you keep on pushing forward and believing in yourself and the people around you, then you will succeed too.
Final Thoughts
My life may look all shiny and successful from the outside, but just know that there are always struggles that you can’t see on social media. Don’t focus on what others look like or what others have; focus on your own success, and you will be surprised on what you can achieve. My number one advice to all of you is invest yourself in things you love and people you can trust and success will come your way. And always remember success looks differently for everyone – focus on what your definition of success looks like.
Live Life on Your Own Terms
Michelle