I think over the years, my idea of success has changed quite a bit. When I was younger, I wanted to be a professional soccer player. So at that point, success would have meant living out that dream. A few years later after learning about business and the stock market, success would have meant a lucrative career in Finance. As I progressed through high school, my desire and interest in social enterprise took the place of my athletic and career ambitions.

Today, my idea of success boils down to a combination of all three of those previous ideologies I had before. Success is the ability for me to do whatever I would like to without being held back by my health. And by health I mean my physical, financial and mental health.

Physical Health

This has a lot to do with just being overall healthy and being able to physically enjoy things in life. This means that I am free of any illness or conditions. I can have all the money in the world, but if I cannot physically move around then there’s no way that I can fully enjoy it!

Financial Health

As much as I would like to say that money doesn't matter or that it doesn't buy happiness, we still need it to get things done. Having an abundance of it won’t necessarily make you happy but it does allow you to do things. You can make things happen. Good or bad. For me, part of success is having enough money to do the things I enjoy and want to do. This could be travelling the world, building and growing businesses or donating to a charity that is near and dear to my heart.

Mental Health

Last but not least, success depends on mental health. I can be physically in great shape and have lots of money in the bank, but I must also be in a healthy state of mind to truly be successful. Mental illnesses have gotten a lot of awareness recently and for good reason. More and more people are neglecting this and are affected by various illnesses. For me, having good mental health is being happy with myself, having a strong support network of family and friends and always looking forward to tomorrow.

Conclusion

Having just one or two of the above cannot satisfy my requirement for success. I will know when I have reached a point of success when I can wake up and decide to what to do for the day and be able to act on it accordingly. What does success look like to you?