Remember being asked as a child, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” As children we are allowed to dream and define our own success story any way we want to. So, why do we stop asking ourselves that question?

It’s extremely challenging to manage our actions toward success if we haven’t identified and defined it first. We can actually feel like a failure when we are highly successful if we are not clear on defining what success means to us.

For example, if we only measure success in dollars, we may always be looking for that bigger pot-of-gold at the end of a new rainbow. Working harder, working faster and doing more are not necessarily the keys to achieving personal satisfaction and success. Or, we may even measure success by comparing ourselves to others.

Even with a hefty bank account and a financially free lifestyle, we may still feel like a failure when everyone around us sees us as successful. This definition of success is dangerous because we set ourselves up for false failure based on comparisons and personal judgments that are completely unfair and unwarranted.

The no-nonsense bottom line: If what we are doing is not working, we must be open and coachable to a new way of doing things. This is simply good common business sense.