Success means different things to different people. I have said this before in my marketing blogs and I will say it again. To some, it means having a happy and healthy life. Others, it means how much money they make or how the world views their achievements. For me, it is something that I am completely unsure of.

To be honest, I am told often that "I am successful". But the reality is that I don't feel successful. It's a benchmark that for me, I am yet to achieve.

I am not sure what that take on success actually means from a business or personal perspective, but I guess it's hard for me to say that I have achieved what I have set out to achieve in its full enormity. Sure, if I didn't achieve anymore than I have today, I wouldn't die disappointed. Nor would I feel like a failure. But to be truthfully placed in the echelons of "being a success" in the world, I think it would be a stretch.

To me, people use the world successful too often and to loosely for my liking. Women in particular.

I have been travelling for more than 2 weeks in the US and in Europe. Not the "holiday" type of travelling, but one that revolves around investigation and exploration. I haven't been writing on this blog as frequently as I have so in the past, but this is mainly because I have had so much to do and so little time to do it.

Challenged with "wanting to be more than I am today" and "needing to find resolutions to everything and anything", my journey has been both memorable and life changing.

I have made decisions, that I thought I wasn't particularly capable of making. I have changed. I have made the "shift". The future is a path I am walking right now. It's exciting and exhilarating, fun and challenging. There will be no miracles or easy roads to follow. It will require a lot of pulling up my sleeves and getting my hands really dirty.

I will find days of being so inspired, sleep will not come my way. I will be exhausted beyond belief. I will meet new people and embrace the differences between them and myself. And I will open myself up to being that step closer to realising my dreams. Maybe a step closer to being what I would consider a "success".

It's not often that we have the opportunity to explore ourselves in an honest way that helps us make better choices and follow a direction that we consider worthy.

There have been many occurances that have helped me make better decisions;

• Spending time with friends: Friends are special. They give us what we cannot give ourselves. If they are good friends, they don't try and sugar coat reality, nor do they push us further down when things are not going our way. They can inspire us, encourage us and be the shoulder that we need to cry on, should the need arise. Sometimes, they are just sounding boards that help us see the world clearer.
• Meeting new business associates: If you don't learn from every person you come into contact with, you are doing something wrong. Every single business meeting I go to, I learn and grow. Clients and prospects know things that I don't know and if I ask the right questions, I am filled with new knowledge that may not have been assessible to be previously.
• Family: I come back to this often as I am fortunate to be part of a family that is quite special. I am thankful every day for the support of my brothers and their respective partners. They know things that no-one else knows and they can tell you how it is, without consequence
• Mentors and Successful People: After spending a week with some amazing people, it makes me realise just how far away I am from being successful (definately in the measurement of business). This is not meant to be self-depreciating. It is how I honestly feel. My goals are not that big (by my standard) and I will most definately never achieve what the people that I have rubbed shoulders with this week have achieved. But that makes sense if you knew who they were and I am sure you would be the first to say that that it is unrealistic. I am always amazed by the time these people give me, the stories they share and the way I walk away inspired and ready to take on the world after having a conversation with them.
• Relationships of any type: Every day I learn from relationships. I am a big softie and a highly emotional creature that unless you really know me, you would never know. I still cry at least once every other month. It might be a movie or it might be because someone has hurt my feelings or that someone I care about isn't well. It could be because I feel things are missing. Whatever the reason, it's all good. In fact, I wouldn't have it any other way. I never want to be the person who has to pretend that I don't have feelings when by having feelings, it brings out a more human side to our personalities.

What this blog is about is being successful. If you think that you are successful, I think that is great. If you don't, then that is good too. If you don't give a sh** about being successful, then that's ok as well. You see, we all are on our own journeys, exploring this world and our own lives. It's important that we don't focus on what other people think but what we ourselves think of ourselves and our own measures of success. Life can be taken way from you in a second. Appreciating it and savouring every minute, like its your last, will only bring you closer to being forever happy. Not trying to be like the Jones' and working through what you want in this world and out of your life, is the only way to be on a path that revolves around happiness and success.

I think I am on this path and that at the end, I will look back and be grateful for the journey I am taking. I have stepped up to the plate and risks are definately something I am not only willing to take, but am excited by. Let's see where the world takes us - huh?