Ask one hundred entrepreneurs to define success, and you better prepare yourself for one hundred different answers.
To win the game of life, business, and legacy, you must first stop looking at success as a destination. It’s a continuous journey, with several destinations (goals) along the way, each presenting an opportunity for growth and improvement.
Growth is the real keyword that you should focus on, and more importantly, measured growth. As soon as you step outside of your comfort zone and face your fears and the things you are not good at, the things you don’t want to do, you will discover growth. The more you grow, the more success you are guaranteed to have, regardless of the definition you choose to govern your choices and actions.
The only real shortcut to success lies in the amount of help you are willing to receive and the amount of growth you are ready to endure.
Once I realized that this, I immediately sought out ways to measure my actions towards my success journey. Why? There is an old saying, something along the lines of “what can be measured can be improved.” Boom…challenge accepted!
As I thought about how I would create a proper method for measuring my success journey along the way, I immediately thought of units, equations, and formulas. You know, your typical math components! I was also thinking about a system of checks and balances, accountability, and a way to measure and audit. Then, it hit me… Volume. Volume can be defined as the amount of space that an object occupies.
If your success definition is anything like mine or the countless other entrepreneurs out there, legacy and impact will be critical components to your success.
If you take a moment and reflect on grade school, you may remember your math teacher writing out the formula for measuring the volume of an object on the old blackboard in white chalk.
Volume = Height x Width x Depth.
Let us break this formula down in terms of you, success, and real, action-based variables to ultimately allow you to continually audit and measure your success.
Height
When you think of the word height, what word immediately comes to mind? For me, it’s growth. Personal growth and personal development can come in a variety of ways and through various mediums. The fact you are even reading this tells me you are someone aspiring for greatness and success. With that said, I have got a question for you. How many books did you read in 2019? The chances are good that, just like me, you understand successful people such as Bill Gates correlate their success to their personal development. The average American reads only four books a year, but Bill Gates? He reads over fifty each year, averaging one book each week.
Substitute “personal development” for “height” within this equation to spark curiosity, gain new insights, discover recent trends, find perspective, and formulate new ideas. Your personal development can come in many formats, so if reading a three-hundred-page book seems like an impossible task, try subscribing to Audible. Instead of listening to music on your road and plane business trips, download something of interest through the Audible App and prepare to be enlightened. Sorry, it looks like the “I just don’t have time to read” excuse is no longer valid!
Width
If you have been around this entrepreneurship game long enough, chances are you’ve heard the saying, “Show me your network, and I’ll show you your net worth.” A pretty impressive statement, isn’t it? This goes right in line with my previous narrative of going it alone vs. getting help! To truly grow as a person, you must subject yourself to the thoughts and actions of like-minded individuals just like yourself, all on the same mission as you. To do this, you need to get wide, and the best way to do this is through networking and joining a business network that aligns with your mission.
The takeaway here is that your network will open your personal development up to a whole new level, introducing you to more opportunities, relationships, and of course, the cash flow that you realize. And do not worry, if you are struggling to find a local meetup or group that resonates with you and your mission, sorry, no more excuses. Unless you have been living under a rock, Facebook has Groups. I guarantee you can find an online group that you can leverage and put to work for your continued growth!
Depth
Are you ready to become the best version of yourself and begin working towards that impact and legacy component of your success journey? Buckle up; this is what will quickly propel you forward and put you in a position to leave a legacy just as you have imagined it.
When I think of depth, the word deep comes to mind. Now, I’m not talking about the deep end of the swimming pool here. I’m talking about deep thinking and impact. Our volume is increasing through personal development and shared group networking at this stage of the success formula. It is time to take all of this to the next level and work towards empowering and impacting others with your newfound growth and skillets.
Create your networking group, Facebook group, coaching program, write a book, start that blog, volunteer, join a board, help a competing business, etc. How deep of an impact can you create to begin making your mark not only within your niche, circle, and industry but your legacy?
There you have it, a complete formula for measuring your volume of success. If it seems empty right now, that’s okay! We all have to start somewhere. The real value lies in knowing that any time you can reflect on each of these areas and measure your progress (or lack thereof).
Remember, what can be measured can be improved. With the road to success consisting of potholes, forks, dead ends, detours, and roadblocks, it’s those steady improvements that will continue to propel your forward and to your ultimate destination, A long-fulfilled life of growth, impact, and legacy.
