Stepping Out - Success or Failure

 "Stepping out" can mean so many things. We can say things like "I'm taking a leap of faith" or "I'm getting out of my comfort zone." While for me lately has been a little bit of both. I have been stepping out and stepping into new and exciting things.

I realize that I have neglected to continue to publish content to this page and as a result feel as if I have failed. But I am reminded that a 100% of people that don't try - fail a 100% of the time.

To say I have failed would be an overstatement. I have tried and that does not make me a failure. It doesn't make me feel all that successful either. And that leaves me wondering what success really means and if I need to be reminded of what success - by my definition - means.

To me success is something that has to be defined by the individual and the individual alone. Meaning, you decide what success looks like and what failure looks like and be careful not to define your success or failure in absolute terms or by the terms of the people that do not try.

It is scary stepping out and trying new things. Failure is not something that any one of us ever want to feel. But - again - it's all in how YOU define it.

I have family and friends that see success and failure in one term - numbers. They define success and failure by how much money you make, by how many followers/subscribers you have, by how much approval you gain from others and how many others you need to have approval from. - Whew that felt winded...

The truth is for me success is defined by the opposite of failure. Success is when you don't join that group of people that don't try. So you don't make money. So you don't have a million followers. Did you try? Did you fall on your face? Did you get dirty? Did it hurt? Did you learn something? To me a yes to any of these questions equals success. Success is trying. Success is learning. Success is doing it. So I should feel successful even if wasn't by much.

You can work your life away and feel like a failure. Or you can get up each day with a purpose to try. You can try to help someone. You can try to change the world. You can try to build Rome. See where I'm going? It isn't going to happen over night, but each day provides an opportunity for a win. A loss only happens when you don't go for a win or you don't even try.

Tomorrow will come with or without you. Today is the only day you've been given and if you didn't get that 1 million subscribers or make a profit but you did your best then today is a win and a success in my book.

Don't give up on something or feel as if you are a failure if you go 7 months without writing an article for your blog (Sorry for that by the way). Don't feel failure if you miss your goal of losing 5 lbs. Don't feel failure if you didn't meet your goal of making a lot of money. (By the way "a lot" is a subjective term and a dangerous one at that because it is allusive.)

Feel success when you gave it all you had and even if you didn't meet your goal for the day - you tried. Too many people don't even try - but you did! You win! And remember today or any day for that matter is not defined by our successes or failures. You won't be remembered as the guy who made millions or the gal that got a 1000 subscribers over night. You will be remembered in how you did it and what you did. You'll be the guy that robbed a bank or the gal who burnt her hair with firecrackers (just kidding - but I've been there.)

How do you want to be remembered? The guy who saved lives or the gal who had compassion on a stranger? The guy who wrote the book that changed the way we do (insert your passion here) or the gal that invented (new way to underwater basket weave or whatever you love to do). Or the person who never tried.

So get up off the couch, step out, and succeed today at what will matter tomorrow.  Maybe success today is not writing a blog, or posting on social media. Maybe today's success is defined by something else - family time, crafting, meditating, exercising, skipping desert. What's your definition of success? Are you up to stepping out tomorrow? Or today? It isn't too late if you're still breathing.