What Is My Definition of Success

I am an Assistant Coach at Dale Carnegie, a public speaking school. This is part of the process in completing the requirements for becoming a certified Dale Carnegie Instructor.

As a coach, I offer assistance to the Instructor by providing support to students, helping to facilitate class discussion, and providing sample presentations so that students have a better understanding of their weekly assignments.

This week, I was asked to share a two minute presentation on a defining moment. Something that significantly impacted me, changed my path or view.

Below is my defining moment.....

So there I was… sitting in my Chemistry Class finishing up my final exam. I put my pencil down, turned in my test and walked out the door. As I walked back across campus, that’s when it hit me like a ton of bricks! I knew that I could no longer convince myself that I wanted to be a doctor. I was finally realizing that my entire college life was shaped by what my parents wanted for me rather than what I wanted.

Being that I am a person to whom my faith is very important, I began to pray for God’s direction. As I reflected, I began to ask myself this question, “what is my definition of success?” What I began to realize was that my definition of success was shaped and defined by the standards of our culture. At that time, success to me meant being a doctor or lawyer, someone with honor, someone with prestige. Yet, deep down I knew that God did not measure me by the amount of money I had in my bank account or the title I carried.

This was a defining moment for me because these six words, “what is my definition of success?” not only changed my career course, but also gave me the strength to step out in faith and increased my dependence upon God.

Though I might not be making as much money as originally planned and I don’t carry a fancy title like doctor or lawyer, I have a sense of freedom and purpose like never before. These six words always challenge my thinking and greatly effect my decisions, not just in regards to my career, but also in my family decisions and daily life choices.

It is also the reason that I stepped down from a very rewarding and fulfilling position with an organization that I was growing in and really loved. Though it was incredibly difficult, I knew that stepping down would help me to better focus on meeting the needs of our growing family. Today, I am a stay at home mom and loving it! Though I never really envisioned me ever staying home, as I ask myself this question, “what is my definition of success” it greatly challenges my thinking and causes me to redefine the things that are truly important in my life.

I find it amazing how God keeps bringing me back to these six words, What is my definition of success, time and time again! It is the base line for every major decision I make in life. Talk about challenging! The Christian life is anything but easy...but oh so rewarding and so fulfilling! I love that God continues to challenge me.