Home
>
Success
>
3 Steps to Defining Success and Defining Your Future

3 Steps to Defining Success and Defining Your Future

Q: Are you a success?

A: Its all in how you define the word!

An American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican Village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked.

Inside the boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The banker complimented Miguel, the Mexican, on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. Miguel replied that it took only a little while.

The banker then asked why he didn't stay out longer and catch more fish. Miguel said he had enough to support his family's immediate needs. The banker then asked, But what do you do with the rest of your time?

Miguel said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life, senor."

The banker scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and, with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats. Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats.

Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise."

Miguel asked, "But senor, how long will this all take?"

To which the banker replied, "15-20 years."

But what then, senor?

The banker laughed and said "That's the best part. When the time is right you would announce a public listing and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions."

"Millions, senor? Then what?"

The banker said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings, where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."

What is your definition of success and how are you getting there?

As the story of Miguel so eloquently illustrates, life success is so closely tied to our values and the way that we want to live our lives. We can easily lose direction and what is truly important to us by being drawn to what success means to other people, ideologies, or pop culture. Being clear on what success means to you and how you are working toward it is EVERYTHING!

Check Yourself

Take a moment to ponder the direction that your current choices are leading you in your life, career, relationships, and health.

Now, make sure you are clear that how you are living in relation to each area is how you ought to be living according to your personal values. You may need to first get clear about your values in each area. Hint: grab a pen and paper for this one.

Finally, identify one step you could take in each of the four areas that would bring you closer, or more fully into, what is truly successful in these areas.

Just as the investment banker believed that Miguel should live by the bankers definition of success, so do we often live our lives by a completely different definition of success than we truly ought.

A thoughtful check of your internal map and compass could start small changes that can take you to destinations as different as Wall Street is to a small fishing village in Mexico!

? 2004 by Dr. Robert A. Eubanks

Article URL: http://www.bridgetosolutions.com/pages/8/index.htm

Terms of use: This article may be published electronically or in print, as long as the byline at the end of the article is included without alteration.

About The Author

Dr. Robert A. Eubanks is the founder of Bridge to Solutions Coaching. He coaches people around the country via telephone to improve organization, time management, goal setting and to create the best darn life possible!

For a free 30 minute coaching session, e-mail http://www.bridgetosolutions.com/pages/8/index.htm or visit http://www.bridgetosolutions.com/pages/8/index.htm.

custom home cleaning Wilmette ..

In The News:

Unlike robotaxi competitors, Tensor focuses on consumer-owned self-driving cars that adapt to highways and urban roads with full redundancy systems for safety.

Medicare scams cost $54 billion in 2024 as fraudsters target beneficiaries with fake calls demanding payments and personal information to steal benefits.

Scammers create fake Evite invitations that mimic legitimate event emails, requiring users to verify senders and use antivirus software for protection.

The new Apple Watch hypertension feature passively monitors blood pressure patterns over 30 days using sensors to detect chronic high blood pressure signs.

Chrome extension spyware disguised as a free VPN service highlights security risks after it captured private browsing data from trusted sites.

New research shows how fatty acids in cooking oil can safely dissolve and recover silver from circuit boards without harmful chemicals or environmental damage.

The Fox News AI newsletter gives you information on the latest AI technology advancements, and about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Anthropic investigates alarming AI abuse case where hacker automated entire cybercrime campaign using Claude, stealing sensitive data from defense and healthcare firms.

TikTok, Meta and YouTube restrict Charlie Kirk shooting videos with age gates and warnings while X faces criticism for allowing continued circulation.

Cybercriminals use fake troubleshooting websites to trick Mac users into running terminal commands that install Shamos malware through ClickFix tactics.

San Francisco startup Fable launches Showrunner, an AI platform dubbed the 'Netflix of AI' that generates animated episodes from text descriptions with Amazon support.

Apple raised iPhone prices for some models despite receiving tariff relief from President Donald Trump, with the new lineup starting at $799 for the base model.

A two-story 3D concrete printed home in Western Australia demonstrates faster construction methods that could reshape American housing amid rising costs.

Credit scores remain important during retirement for insurance rates and housing applications, while seniors become prime targets for identity theft and financial scams.

Scammers now send unexpected packages with QR codes that redirect victims to fraudulent websites or download malicious software to steal sensitive information.

Meeting AI tools record private conversations alongside work discussions, creating privacy risks that can be managed with proper settings and awareness.

Hotel privacy concerns are valid but rare, with methods to detect hidden tech using smartphone flashlights, mirror tests and scanning apps.

Improve your Wi-Fi speed and reliability with 10 simple router optimization tips that don't require special apps or expensive subscriptions.

A Columbia University breach exposed names, Social Security numbers and academic records of nearly 869,000 people, with notifications beginning in August.

Rental car drivers use AI-powered apps like Proofr to protect themselves from unfair damage fees as major companies deploy automated inspection tools.

Fox News' AI newsletter brings you the latest on technology advancements around artificial intelligence.

OnTrac data breach between April 13-15, 2025, exposed personal information of over 40,000 people including Social Security numbers and medical records.

A woman named Wika announces her engagement to an AI chatbot sparking worldwide debate about virtual relationships and technology.

The notorious people search site National Public Data relaunches despite a previous breach affecting 3 billion individuals, raising fresh privacy concerns.

Revolutionary TRAUMAGEL gel controls life-threatening bleeding from gunshot wounds and traumatic injuries, helping first responders prevent prehospital deaths.