Thank you for asking me to share how I define success….
I think success is personal to the individual-it might mean working in Hollywood for one person or living on a houseboat for another. I do feel that the problem with success is how rarely we collectively reflect on milestones met or goal posts knocked off, because we are all so consumed by relentlessly moving forward and endlessly pursuing dreams, which, while gr
eat and motivating, can also make for weariness, fatigue, and a sense of never actually achieving anything.
It’s so crucial to write a list of all the positive things you’re ticking off being it writing a blog post that matters to you or working with someone you admire to winning a commission or an award or even travelling somewhere you’ve longed to. The big and the small goals must be acknowledged for in doing so, you build confidence and keep striving.
Success is, as cheesily as it sounds, about the journey for me. My biggest lessons have come from mistakes which in turn have come from pushing myself out of my comfort zone. As have successes. In simply just going for it, whatever ‘it’ might be at that moment in time. How can we discover what we like and feel passionate about as Darren Rowse says, if we don’t get out there and have a go. We might surprise ourselves right?!
By fearlessly pushing ourselves (even if we’re drowning in fear) means we can grow, change and learn. I don’t want to ever stop learning. I remember reading, after getting my MA from Goldsmith’s University of London, aged 21, the youngest and least experienced in my class ( a big milestone for me)… that Martin Scorsese always returns to his film school notes before directing every film, even now. I knew academia would have a life-long impact on me. That education would also be key to me.
Success for me comes down to being endlessly curious, wanting to push boundaries and to never stop learning or putting myself out there. To being open minded and to keep learning from others and ultimately to keep reminding myself of what I know and implementing it Scorsese style.
Health and happiness comes first of course, knowing my family are well and that, I along with my husband can provide for our kids and give them security in every sense of the word is the driving force for us both. I want my children to feel they can always be themselves, I want them to value and love themselves, to not feel they must change their personalities to conform. That they are enough. I want them to reach that point far sooner than I have, because 35 years is a long time to feel truly happy in your boots.
That to me is success.
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22 Comments
Thanks so much for including my guest post on your super blog, what a lovely start to the weekend! x
I really love this series, it’s a great idea and really interesting to see different people’s take on the “prompt”.
A bit of a coup, getting Honest Mum on board…! 😉
And ooh – next week it’s me! (I can’t even remember what I wrote, so that’ll be an interesting read…)
xx
I really look forward to reading these posts each week! I come away feeling inspired and ready to take on the world!
I love this! Vicki is such an inspiring person and it’s great to read her views on success. I agree that it’s important to feel comfortable in your own skin and confident and I definitely want that for my son, too. I also love the idea of how important academia and learning can be, I think that’s often underrated.
I read Vicki’s first ever post yesterday and it’s amazing to see that 6 years later she has become so successful! #ablogginggoodtime
What a great series! Plus Vicki was actually the reason I started my blog, so she’s such an inspiration. I love her point about acknowledging your success as it happens so that it doesn’t always become about chasing the next big thing. I need to do this more. #ablogginggoodtime
Nadia – Scandimummy x
Fab series. I find it so inspiring! Vicki has achieved so much with her blog, something to aim for :- )#Ablogginggoodtime
Just popping back for #ablogginggoodtime!! Xx
Ah this is such an inspiring piece to read! Such a feel good article and I love reading how others define success. It truly shows that success is an individual journey and can be perceived in so many different ways.
Really great and positive post 🙂 thanks for sharing #ablogginggoodtime
I live this series and loved reading Vicky’s notion of success. I love the part about recognising and celebrating not only big achievements but also all the little ones in between x #ablogginggoodtime
I think Vicki is absolutely right about celebrating the mini-wins as they come along, but it’s really hard to do. As a bit (a lot!) of a perfectionist myself, I find it hard to relax until a project it finished and perfectly polished. Thank you for the prompt to celebrate each step. #ABloggingGoodTime
Health and happiness are a beautiful thing #ablogginggoodtime
This is fab! I would love to be involved but Im a very very new blog so am holding out till maybe I do have a source for indicating what I think my success is! <3
I love this blog series. Success is such a relative term and many people never “achieve it” I am glad you did.
#ABloggingGoodTime
I totally agree that it is a good idea to stop and reflect on what has gone well rather than just pushing on to the next thing. As parents I think we all want our kids to be happy and confident in who they are. #ablogginggoodtime
Love her! She sounds so wise. Can she be my friend?! Great post #ablogginggoodtime
This is so inspirational – it’s such a great idea to stop and think about why you started your blog and how much you have achieved. Such a fab series you are running Katie, really enjoying reading it & thank you for hosting #ablogginggoodtime xxx
Love her attitude to life long education. #ablogginggoodtime
Yep – really interesting to read Vicki’s take on ‘success’. #ablogginggoodtime x
What a great post. I really enjoyed that and love Vickis outlook on success, family, life and her blog. To me she is inspirational. I loved her last paragraph it’s so very poignant and accurate for so many of us I do believe. Oh and she’s right, it’s totally about the journey and we should acknowledge what we achieve on that journey as the journey never ends #ablogginggoodtime xx