What Does Success Really Mean to You?

Before we can pursue success, we need to understand what success isn’t. If you spend just a few minutes on social media, you’ll realize how many people hold a very narrow definition of success. They think it’s about building wealth, having the perfect relationship, launching a billion-dollar business or amassing a large social media following. And a lot of times, they attach famous people to their image of success.

None of these things or people is wrong, but being like them doesn’t necessarily make you successful. Many people have fought and struggled to the top only to feel miserable and burned out once they get there. They’re unhappy because they pursued the wrong definition of success—one that didn’t match their values.

Throughout childhood and early adulthood, we learn various ideas of success from our parents, teachers and friends. Everyone has their own agenda and idea of who and what we should be. Although it’s OK to value the opinions and hopes of others, we shouldn’t necessarily adopt them as our own. No one can impose their version of success on us. No one can tell us what it means to live the good life. Read more at success.com.

Successful People Who Worked Through Failures

If there’s one thing in life that’s guaranteed, it is that you will fail. If you haven’t failed already at something in your life, rest assured that, somewhere, somehow, you will. This is not a bad thing, simply a fact of life.  The sooner that somebody realizes and becomes comfortable with that fact, the sooner they can move away from the negative side of failure. What you fail at, ultimately is not important. What is important is that you’ve worked through failures, and what you take from those experiences.

If you don’t get back on that horse just because you’re afraid you’re going to fall again, then you’ll never get anywhere. Some of the world’s most influential people mastered failing before they saw their first successes. Fortunately for them (and for the rest of the world), these gifted individuals never gave up. Instead, they worked through failures and become some of the most successful people in recent history. Read more at peopledevelopmentmagazine.com.

19 Definitions Of Success You Should Never Ignore

What is success? Is it wealth? Is it happiness? Is it fame?

The late Zig Ziglar was one of the most respected modern day experts on success, motivation, and leading a balanced life. In his book Born to Win!, he argues that success cannot be defined in one sentence, but instead it is comprised of many things. One could argue that the definition depends on the individual and that one size does not fit all^[1].

Here are 19 different definitions of success. Not all of these will resonate with you, but chances are at least a few of them will. Use these or find inspiration here to create your own definition of success that can be applied to your unique life. Read more at lifehack.org.

Savoring Success

Check out virtually any review of Fisher Vineyards and the results are invariably similar: The winery, located in Santa Rosa, Calif., is renowned for producing premium varietals — but unlike many of its competitors, it operates with what appears to be a willful resistance to the spotlight.

“We do win some competitions,” says Rob Fisher, general manager of Fisher Vineyards, “but we don’t make our wines for that purpose. As we’ve worked through this over the decades, we think our mission and our wines are entirely about enriching life.”

That perfectly captures the essence of the vision Fisher’s parents shared when they decided to get into the winemaking business. “They didn’t come to Napa to be scored on wine,” Fisher says. “They did it as a sort of enrichment, a confirmation of their own life view. There’s a story behind every wine. Slow down and savor that time. I think for my parents it was all about slowing down.” Read more at dbusiness.com.

Join us in SUCCESS Achievers Community. If you’re interested in personal and professional success, we’re certain you’ll find it very beneficial. It takes less than a minute to join and together we’re sharing our stories, experiences, and ideas. Learn more at achievers.success.com.

Dear entrepreneurs, you’re not lazy. You’re scared.

The alarm goes off, slicing through the quiet darkness of your bedroom. It’s 5 a.m. Outside, the air is damp and cold, but your bed is soft and warm. There’s nothing in the world that sounds less appealing than getting up, fumbling for your running shoes, and heading out the door. 

What do you do?

If you’re like many of us, you make excuses. You need more sleep. It’s too cold. You don’t feel 100 percent. You just really, really don’t want to run today. 

Now, imagine the same scenario for an elite athlete. It’s 5 a.m. It’s cold. They’re tired. Their bed, like yours, is nice and warm. But when that alarm buzzes, they’re up. Day after day, month after month. What’s their secret? What do they think about? The answer is:

They don’t. They—to quote a certain brand’s catchphrase—just do it. Read more at entrepreneur.com.

Why Entrepreneurs Need To Talk About Their Mental Health

72% of entrepreneurs are directly or indirectly affected by mental health issues compared to just 48% of non entrepreneurs. That’s according to a study by the National Institute of Mental Health. 49% of entrepreneurs deal with mental health issues directly while only 32% of others experienced them. Similarly, 23% of entrepreneurs have family members who face these issues compared to just 16% of others with family members who face these same types of issues.

I’ve been an entrepreneur now for almost a decade (9 years and counting). I’m just one of 500 million entrepreneurs; we make up about eight percent of the global population, amazingly. As a category – we are exponentially more likely to suffer from mental health problems, and yet, people don’t talk about that enough – it is fetishised and glamourised, so here’s an attempt to share some data and personal experience to show the other side.

In my 9 years, I’ve failed 4 times, and had 2 successes, and am currently scaling my latest company, Heights, which launched to the public in January of this year – 2020, great timing indeed. During this time, I have suffered from 3 major mental health problems. Read more at forbes.com.

Feeling Overwhelmed? These Little Tips Will Help You Take Control of Your To-Dos and Prioritize the Right Way

Between work, meetings, household chores, and — for some — parenting duties, we all have a lot on our plates right now. And as the to-dos pile on, it can be hard to know what to tackle first, which leads to feeling overwhelmed and stressed. Taking a moment to pause and prioritize isn’t always easy, yet research tells us that trying to constantly multitask only ends up backfiring and adding to our stress.

Questions were asked of the Thrive community to share the little ways they prioritize when they start to feel overwhelmed. Which of these will you try? Read more at thriveglobal.com.

Welcome to The Social Geek Radio Network.

Get in touch with your inner geek. Jack Monson and many special guests discuss social media and digital marketing trends for brands, small businesses, and franchises. 

Social Geek Radio was listed as one of 20 Best Business Podcasts according to Emerge and was named to the Best Small Business Podcasts by FitSmallBusiness.com. Recently, Social Geek Radio finally made the Top 25 podcasts in the Marketing category of Apple Podcasts / iTunes.

• Franchise Facebook Podcast – every Monday
• Franchise News Podcast – every Wednesday
• Social Geek Radio Franchise Spotlight – every Friday

Listen, download, subscribe to Social Geek Radio!

4 Ways to Actively Reprogram Your Thoughts

Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s ability to form new neural pathways, interconnections between parts of our nervous system. This happens after injury but also in response to our environment, thoughts and emotions.

As with building muscle, the more we “work out” certain neural pathways, the stronger they become. Robust pathways become our favored psychological “highways.” We can generate more happiness, calm and kindness in our life simply by practicing these emotions.

Throughout our lives, we have unwittingly used this technique to program negative emotions, but we can do the same for patience, love, passion and joy.

How many of you know something intellectually but fail to apply that wisdom? You know jealousy will push your partner away, but you get angry when they talk to the opposite sex for too long, anyway.

“When judgment or negativity comes up, it means your internal dialogue is off,” says Thais Gibson, a personal development expert. Read more at success.com.

12 Signs You’re Destined to Be an Entrepreneur

Some people think they’re born to be an entrepreneur; others see it as a skill anyone can learn. Regardless of where you stand on this debate, you can’t argue with the fact that some people just know they’re destined for entrepreneurship. 

You’re constantly reaching for new achievements: Having a restless spirit that’s never satisfied with “good enough” is one sign that you’d make a great entrepreneur. Being a business owner means continually improving on your success and never resting in your comfort zone. If you love achieving, entrepreneurship might just be for you.

You like to be in control: If you’ve ever been in a bad relationship with a controlling partner, you know that needing to be in control isn’t always an entirely positive trait. That said, every entrepreneur needs a team to be successful. If you like being in charge and people have an easy time following your vision, you could make a very good entrepreneur.

Read more at inc.com for signs that you’re destined to be an entrepreneur.

If You’re the Lifeblood of Your Business, Then You’ve Doomed It to Failure

Netflix turned heads when the media giant announced that Reed Hastings would no longer be CEO. Instead, he became co-CEO, sharing the title with former Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos. Netflix isn’t the first company to try the atypical arrangement, but it’s easy to imagine why it might be tough to have two leaders at the top.

Whether they’re running a small business on Main Street or an S&P 500 heavy hitter, business owners and CEOs often have a hard time ceding control. Part of that sense of ownership stems from being the visionary, but the other half is that business leaders also think of themselves as quality control.

Many businesses have two general camps: the promise makers and the promise keepers. Making a promise is a big deal for leaders with integrity, and they want to hold up their end of the bargain. As a result, they spend a significant amount of time making sure that the promise keepers (i.e., their operations team) deliver on the business’s promise to the leader’s exacting specification.

This sentiment of wanting the final say comes from the right place. But it can also have unintended consequences. Read more at entrepreneur.com.

A Message from Acceler8Success Founder, Paul Segreto about “The Self-Reliant Entrepreneur”

Recently, I’ve decided to once again work through, “The Self-Reliant Entrepreneur” by John Jantsch. It’s a daily journal that I have found poses very direct questions… ones that we most likely wouldn’t ask AND/OR answer ourselves, but should. For only 15 minutes a day, you’ll find it to be an eye-opener in many ways.

Google Books refers to the book as, A guide for creating a deeper relationship with the entrepreneurial journey The Self-Reliant Entrepreneur offers overworked and harried entrepreneurs, and anyone who thinks like one, a much-needed guide for tapping into the wisdom that is most relevant to the entrepreneurial life. Check it out here.