How do you measure success? 

Is it by the car you drive, your job title, or your salary? 

If so, you might want to take a moment to recalibrate your Metrics. Because here’s the thing – measuring your success based on material things will probably leave you feeling empty, like something is missing.

There’s no doubt that having nice things is, well, nice, but if your actions aren’t aligned with your Core Values, you run the risk of cheapening any success you achieve. 

While this can be daunting to realize, it’s also freeing. 

It allows you to write your own measures of success based on what drives your happiness and helps you feel like your most authentic, badass self. 

Finding Success That Nourishes Your Soul 

Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.

– Albert Schweitzer

Success, despite what you may have been told, is wholly personal. You have to define it for yourself – no one else can do it for you.

Say you value altruism and charity, then your definition of success might center around making a difference in the world. Or if autonomy and freedom are important to you, you may feel you’ve made it when you start running your own business.

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to success. Your goals need to match the rhythm of your soul for your accomplishments to spark joy and meaning. 

Of course, discovering your unique definition of success isn’t always easy. For decades, most of us have fallen into the comparison trap, looking to external drivers to decide what we should and shouldn’t consider a win. As a result, you may have lost touch with what truly makes you feel happy and fulfilled.

Reconnecting with your deeper values and purpose takes time, effort, and courage – but the journey is well worth it. Once you uncover how to measure meaningful success, you can start cultivating a remarkable life rich in authenticity, fulfillment, and passion. 

8 Meaningful Ways to Measure Success in Life

If you’re feeling unclear about what metrics to include in your reinvigorated roadmap for success, here are some ideas to inspire you:

1. Visualizing Your Embodiment of Success

One way to measure success is to check each day whether your decisions are taking you closer to (or farther away) a vision. Think of it like a dream you have for a more fulfilled future version of yourself.

I’m going to take you through an impactful visualization exercise I often use with my clients to help them unleash definitions of success that stir the soul. 

Here’s what I’d like you to do:

• Find somewhere quiet. 
• Take a deep breath and close your eyes. 
• Now, conjure an image in your mind of you living your ideal life. What are you doing and where? How do you think and behave? What have you accomplished, and who are you sharing this dream life with?
• Once your vision is clear, spend 10 minutes writing down everything you’ve dreamed up. Focus on the values, habits, career decisions, and relationships that color the canvas of your imagination. 

Hopefully, at the end of this process, you’ll have a stronger idea of the goals that really matter to you, which you need to measure against to feel truly successful. 

Chances are, this exercise might also make you reconsider where you’re currently spending some of your energy. When you think deeply about why you want certain things, you may discover that, deep down, your soul is leading you toward another, more rewarding direction. 

2. Growing, Failing, Learning 

Do you feel like you’re stuck in your comfort zone? If so, then you’re probably denying yourself the chance to step into the most authentic version of you. Unless you’re growing, learning, and, yes, failing, you’re not moving forwards. 

Failure is necessary if you are dedicated to making incremental changes in life. Success comes from what we learn in step-by-step fails. There is no shortcut around failure. There is only a path to success through it.

Research shows that people who regularly stretch their comfort zones feel more creative, resilient, and satisfied with their lives than the average person. 

Ask yourself – am I empowering myself to be the best version of me? Are there any dreams I’ve held off on chasing because of fear? What would I do if I knew I couldn’t fail?

In these answers, you’ll find fulfilling (and perhaps slightly scary!) metrics to add to your personal philosophy for success. 

3. Nurturing Soul-Quenching Relationships 

When it comes to relationships, quality always trumps quantity. 

People with a close network of quality family members and friends are more likely to feel fulfilled and less likely to suffer from mental health conditions like depression and anxiety. Which serves to highlight exactly how great of an impact our relationships have on our well-being! 

With that in mind, one metric you might want to consider adding to your revamped definition of success is the state of your inner circle. 

Focus on nurturing relationships with people who uplift and inspire you – and setting healthy boundaries with those who bring you down. 

4. Pursuing Self-Actualization 

Life asks of every individual a contribution, and it is up to that individual to discover what it should be.

– Viktor E Frankl

Self-actualization is a term popularized by psychologist Abraham Maslow, who famously created Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. According to him, every one of us has five human needs, often portrayed as hierarchical levels in a pyramid.

These needs must be fulfilled from the bottom up: 

• At the bottom, physiological needs like food and shelter
• Next, safety needs such as a regular income and love
• Then, belonging needs in the form of relationships
• Esteem needs such as respect, strength, and freedom
• Finally, self-actualization, which Maslow defined as “the ability to become everything that one is capable of becoming.”

Maslow’s hierarchy can help you to shine a holistic light on your state of well-being. Analyze how well your needs are currently being fulfilled across these levels and identify any deficiencies. This can lead you toward some meaningful metrics that will help you reach your full potential.

5. Mastering the Art of Purposeful Work 

There is nothing quite so useless as doing with great efficiency, something that should not be done at all.

– Peter Drucker

Do you know that 70% of employees are unhappy in their jobs? The unfortunate truth is that many people essentially wish their lives away because their work lacks meaning and purpose. 

But it doesn’t have to be like that. If you feel stuck in a job you hate, you have the power to make a career change at any time – and it’s a great metric to add to your measures of success. 

Countless studies show that individuals who engage in purposeful work are happier and even live longer. If you feel a calling to do something different, to find a way to integrate your talents, experience, and passions, start exploring new avenues with courage and curiosity. 

And if you’d like a helping hand with the career reinvention process, we have the experience and strategies to support you.

6. Getting Good at Giving Back 

Only those who have learned the power of sincere and selfless contribution experience life’s deepest joy: true fulfillment.

– Tony Robbins

While materialism encourages us to focus on ‘I’ and ‘taking’, it’s healthier to instead focus on ‘us’ and ‘giving’. 

I encourage you to include at least one generosity-based metric in your new measures for success. As research from the University of Berkley found, people who regularly give back are happier than those who don’t. 

To put giving back into action, you could choose to volunteer with a charity close to your heart, take on a sponsored challenge or get more involved in your local community. The opportunities are limitless! 

7. Embracing Your Core Values 

Your core values are the stuff that makes you, you. They are your personal principles and the guiding voice in your gut that says you’re doing the right or wrong thing. 

When you have a clear set of core values, you can make big life decisions with confidence, experience greater self-discipline, and have stronger social connections.

It’s easy to understand why. 

Uncovering your core values awakens your deepest, truest self. As you start to embrace value-based decision-making, you’ll move into your own integrity and cultivate a rewarding life based on authenticity, passion, and purpose. 

8. Practicing Self-Kindness

According to neuroscientists, the average person processes around 70,000 thoughts per day! Unfortunately, not all of these thoughts are positive. Many people’s internal monologues are characterized by negativity, self-criticism, doubt, and anxiety. 

If this sounds like you, then a helpful metric for success to consider is embracing self-kindness and compassion. 

Studies show that individuals who are more self-compassionate experience greater all-around happiness, motivation, better relationships, and physical health.

Getting raw and real with who you are, learning to love your weaknesses, and nurturing your strengths are one of the most rewarding goals you can pursue, and will positively permeate every area of your life once you achieve them. 

Putting Your Metrics for Success Into Action

If you’d like a little help in incorporating your new metrics for success into your life, I can help you find the focus and motivation you need. 

SoulSalt’s Bring Your Best Self Master Class will help you uncover what motivates you, help you identify metrics for success, define and achieve your long-term goals, and ultimately plot a roadmap to reaching your full potential – as authentic, badass you.

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