Too many people have a skewed perception of success. If you ask a bunch of people how they would define success, you would get different answers. Some would say they would consider themselves successful, when they have a great career. Others would say that for them success means a big bank balance. You might get other answers too because success has different meanings for different people.

But not many would consider being a good son or daughter, wife or husband or mother or father as a sign of success. I am not trying to say that money is not important; it is. But stop trying to make money at the cost of spending time with your family.

Whatever you are doing, be all there.

People equate success with happiness, but most of their actions are directed towards gaining pleasure. Pleasure is not happiness. Prominent fashion designer Monique Lhuillier says that she is a perfectionist, but she knows how to live. When she works, she gives it 100%. When she is with her friends, she forgets about everything else and enjoys the time. When she is at home with her kids, she again forgets everything else and is with her kids. Every time, she focuses on one thing and gives it 100%. Juggling her life like this, she is able to maintain perfect balance.

As the mystic and philosopher Thomas Merton said, happiness is not about intensity. It is about order, balance, harmony and rhythm.

Life will ebb and flow always and despite your best efforts, you will never know with certainty which direction your life will take. Maybe, it will take you where you wanted to go. It is also possible that it won’t. But there are some things that you can control like spending more time with your family. You can also control how you work with your clients or how you interact with them. For starters, do these two things properly and you will be able to bring some semblance of balance into your life.

Nothing is permanent in the world.

You might think that you have a great life now. Your business is doing great, you have a good career, a wonderful family. These things might take up most of your time. You might define this as harmony because it is the path that you choose to take. But do not be under the illusion that it is always going to there.

So take a step back and breathe a bit. Play games with your kids, enjoy your success, enjoy a glass of wine, or cook dinner with your wife or husband.

George Bernard Shaw once said that life is not about trying to find oneself; it is about creating oneself. If something works for others, it does not mean that it will work for you.

Create your own life. Spend more time with your kids and family and when you are working, give it all you have. You will find that this is a better measure of success than anything else you may have tried until now.

Belinda

** This post was first published on www.thesistacode.com