Success

A new trend of selecting a single word for the year, rather than making resolutions, has caught my attention. I'm not a big fan of resolutions. I like the idea of goal setting and working towards those goals, but I believe that we need to constantly re-evaulate what we want and what we need. Writing a few sentences at the beginning of the year doesn't help me too much because I know that after a few months, my mind will have wandered into some other unfamiliar territory. I dream often and constantly change my mind.

I do, however, like the idea of coming up with a word. After thinking about it for quite some time, I've decided that my word for 2013 is success.

I know this may seem shallow at first glance, but I'm not talking about success in the "American dream" sort of way. I've chosen success as my word for the year because I want to define what it means for me. We spend most of our time comparing ourselves to others and attempting to shape our lives into what works for other people. I've fallen into that trap time and time again. Hopefully 2013 will be the year that I break away from those constraints.

Despite what many articles may tell us, success means something different to everyone. Whether you've had a successful day (or month, or year, or life) comes down to how much value you place upon yourself and your actions. I feel successful when I've accomplished something creative; when I've spent time reading something wonderful; when I've spent time with people I love. This year, I want to discover how to accomplish a successful life for myself.

I want to wake up every morning and think to myself, "Yes, I have succeeded." Not by following anyone else's guidelines, but by accomplishing the things that I personally value above all else.

How do you define success?