Redefining success means you look for ways to be successful even without having a tangible reward. Let me repeat that, you look for ways that you have been successful even if there isn't an obvious tangible reward. The easiest example is to feel a sense of success and accomplishment just for taking the action. With exercise, there are several ways to redefine success. First, I can feel successful after going for a run because I know that I accomplished something that most people don't do. I also know that by going for this run, I am more likely to be productive at work. I am also improving my health. I might also start noticing I have more energy the rest of the day or that I sleep better at night. There is a lot of research on all of the benefits of exercise beside just losing weight or looking good at the beach.
By redefining success to something you can experience immediately, you give yourself positive feedback and encouragement for that behavior and you will be more likely to do it again tomorrow.
In school, maybe success is trying the math problem instead of answering it correctly.
Maybe in Basketball it is attempting a layup instead of making a layup.
Socially, maybe it is saying high to someone instead of getting their contact information.
By lowering our threshold for success we are allowing ourselves to relax and approach the task with an open mind.
What are actions that you have taken that your criteria for success were so high you stopped before achieving your goal? How could you have changed the definition of success to allow you to be successful?
Sign up for my email list and I will send out a few areas where I have redefined success in my own life.
Happy Friday
Andrew
twitter @andrewzimbd