Lit up from the Inside: Success Redefined

Three Definitions of Success

There are three generally accepted definitions of success.

1.        The attainment of fame, wealth, or social status.

2.        The good or bad outcome of an undertaking

3.        The accomplishment of an aim or purpose.

The most prevalent one has been the attainment of fame, wealth, or social status. This is the one popularized by media, often ignoring all the seemingly insignificant steps the so-called overnight successes slogged through on their way to the top.

There’s an archaic definition, one that is no longer used, that didn’t qualify success as a positive. It was simply a result; it was either the good or the bad “outcome” of an undertaking.

It is the third definition, one that is evolving within our culture, that most interests me, “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose,” but one that needs further qualifying.

Success According to Whom?

Not one of us can claim that we haven’t had successes of some sort in our lives. Most of them, however, have been dictated by others: by job requirements, by parents and teachers, by society and consensus thinking. But thinking about it, are those things successes?

What now qualifies as success for me is about a state of mind or of being, which is far different than the accomplishment of a set goal. While still important, there is a flip in focus.

In the past, we thought we had to cross the finish line to feel successful, to feel joy and elation.

Now, it’s all about bringing joy and elation to everything I do while making the conscious choice to abandon the pursuits that don’t light me up. On the flip side, I can bring light to the tasks that I choose to do, for the overall well-being of myself, my family, and my home.

An Aim and a Purpose

Returning to that third definition, the one focused on the accomplishment of an aim or a purpose, I want to break down the words aim and purpose.

Aim is all about direction. Am I traveling in a direction that promotes personal growth?

Purpose is all about output, not outcome. It literally means “to put forth.” Am I using my gifts, talents, abilities, and skills to bring value to the world?

I found a fascinating correlation to purpose in the word synergy. The first part of the word syn- means with, but it is the second half that caught my attention. It is from the root *werg- which means "to do." While etymonline does not link *werg and *werc-, how could it not be related?

See Every Day Genius: The Podcast episode 135 for more on the etymology of "work." (As of this blog publication date, episode 135 has not published but will on February 25, 2026. Subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss this or any other episodes.)

In the Greek, the -ergy of synergy was the root *ergo- (apparently primary but now obsolete). Why is it obsolete, I wonder? It is still relevant and perhaps needs reviving. Ergo was an 0ccupation, an enterprise, an undertaking. It was anything accomplished by hand, art, industry, or mind. It was certainly NOT the limited and negative view of "work" that we have today.

It puts a whole new spin on Cogito, ergo sum, doesn't it. "I think therefore I am." It would seem that the thinking naturally implies and leads to "doing," working out our lives.

Synergy, therefore meant not only to work together, but to put forth power. That sounds like purpose to me!

For me, success is a moving target just as purpose and synergy are continually putting forth effort and power. It is dynamic, not static.

The accomplishment is in the ability to be conscious of what divine desire exists within me, calling me forward into directed output.

My Biggest Win

Did you know that win and wish come from the same root? If you went to the wishing well, right now, what would you throw your coin in for? Would it be for the burnout you’re experiencing following the traditional model of success? Not likely!

And that’s not my wish either. Listen, I am not one to mock fame or wealth, but I am more about those being a byproduct of living life lit up from within.

This realization has been my biggest win, perhaps one I didn’t even realize I had wished for. I knew I didn’t want all the downsides to fame and fortune. I mean, have you noticed that the media that builds some of these so-called successes up is the same media that will not hesitate to tear them down?

I do however want the upsides, and I can have them, if I eliminate the limiting beliefs that wealth equals sin, that money is evil. We all deal with human temptations and challenges. Perhaps it's a matter of scale. With wealth, we can also grow our competence to handle those challenges.

My biggest win is knowing that I choose winning and wealth by being intentional about my mission. Not only what I want to get, but what I must give. Not only what there is to receive, but what I have to offer.

Redefining Success for Ourselves and Other Women

How do we recognize and celebrate success for our fellow human beings?

It’s simple.

Are they lit up?
Are they on fire for life?

Could it be that they are living their aim and their purpose?

Celebrate THAT!

♥

Michele Jennae

Every Day Genius isn't about IQ. Every Day Genius is about YOU!