- The meaning of success is personal, finding what success means to you is the beginning of the path.

- It’s usually easy to create prerequisites to success, such as: first I save some money, then I start with my plan. Postponing your path to success makes no sense.

- Even personal success sounds as individual, it is more of a collective achievement. Asking others for support, guidance and help is essential. Showing vulnerability, as Brené Brown said at her first TED talk, enables human connection. Gratefulness along the way adds to the feeling of fulfilment.

- The concept of success is constantly adapting, it’s dynamic. It changes while our perception expands as a result of new experiences and knowledge.

I found that going away of the path is a constant. Wouldn’t be great if we would have an alarm system that tells when we are going off the path? If I find myself complaining, blaming or waiting for others to act my alarm starts beeping.

The fear of failure, other natural alarm system, can be a show stopper, It often paralyses it’s victims. By default, the fear of failure automatic system comes with a paranoid message: "Danger of catastrophic and shameful failure is imminent, stop the process of change". When learning to deal with it, it becomes a useful and automated caution call that says: "Looks like you are embracing change, be careful".

We all come equipped with another important system, it is specially useful when a clear definition of success is to hard to find. It constantly let us know when there is an opportunity for growth. I activate it by asking myself: what is the source of dissatisfaction? The first answer triggers my Off the Path Alarm. I normally need to ask ‘why’ two or three times more, until I dig deep enough.

Failing itself is an aid towards success, it reveals where the path is and expands our perception. A few days ago I read a quote someone posted at a social media application that captured my attention: "The lack of failure isn’t success".

If you feel the presence of joy, be sure you are on the right path.

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." (Winston Churchill)

After reading many books, magazines and blog posts that cover a diverse set of topics; the agreement I found is that success behaves as a playful child, she hides along the way and, once is found, she hides again as inviting you to continue with the game.

Jose Antonio Morales

You can find Jose Antonio Morales on:
Twitter: @joseamorales
Linkedin: https://linkd.in/N32LZH
Facebook community of foreigners in Slovenia: https://foreignersinslovenia.si