Defining Success

I was watching Oprah yesterday. It was the show with Ralph Lauren. What an interesting man with an interesting story. The thing about him that really struck me was how much of a family man he is. Here is a man that runs a billion dollar empire, who takes great pride in making the best and doing the best in his company yet he still managed to be home for dinner and play with his children on the weekends. You could feel the love and respect his family had for him.

In stark contrast one of my favorite blogging artists recently wrote a post about how difficult it is to be an artist and to be successful at it. The long hours 7 days a week with no vacations, the obligations, the deadlines, the rushing, and the pressure were all given as examples of this.

One of the things I believe in when it comes to being a holistic health coach is that food is important but oftentimes it becomes secondary and the other areas of life are the primary foods. We are fed by the quality of our lives. The relationships, the environment we live in, our careers, our spirituality, etc. When those things are going well food is of less importance.

When we are out of balance oftentimes we turn to food to fill us up. We reach for the sugary treats, caffeine, and salty treats. When our lives are filled with passion, excitement, and love we can forget to eat...that's secondary food.

When I work with my clients I don't just tell them how to eat (in fact, I don't tell them at all but that's a whole other post), I look deeper and help them to find balance, to find passion, to love themselves and to put themselves on their priority list. In the beginning they resist. "How will everything get done?" they ask or "I couldn't possible do that!" they tell me. I push them just a tiny bit out of their comfort zone and they begin to get it. They feel different, they're happier and more fulfilled.

When looking at your career, I guess the question you have to ask yourself is, "How do you define success?" Is success simply how much money you make, how much power you have, or how well known you are? Or is it that you are living a life that brings you joy, that fills you up, that is balanced with family, friends, career, health, AND financial security?

There will be people that say it can't be done. You can't have it all and I say don't listen! I know people who have done it. I've seen how they structure their lives, how they prioritize, how they stay connected to their spirit and still manage to be successful. Are they as successful as Ralph Lauren? No, but Ralph Lauren is and he seems to have it figured out.

So I ask you, what is your definition of success and where are you on your path to finding it?