What is Success?

What is success to you? Is it fame and fortune? Or is it more personal, such as starting your own business, fulfilling a childhood dream, or making a difference in the lives of others? There is no right or wrong answer. There is only your answer, which is unique.

Your industry, your ecosystem, and what you want to do and get out of life will influence what you think of as success. Throughout my life, I have experienced success. It has come in different ways, at varying levels, and has been fulfilling.

As I have reflected on success, I realized that it is the interception between profit and impact. Interestingly, they only need to be present in your life, but not always at the same time or the same intensity.

Making an Impact

Making an impact is all about connecting with people and discovering opportunities, the magic that shows up when we focus on others. I often see this happen in the projects, books, and campaigns we work on together. It’s about constantly moving, making things happen, and serving others while we do that.

Economic impact, or profit, is the other half of the coin on my road to success. Along that path, I have had many goals, and as I met them, I will add another to work toward, shifting my definition of success and raising the bar, lest I become stagnant. And no one wants that.

Adding Goals

As I kept moving forward, pursuing my new level of success, I wanted to be accepted into the Stanford University Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative Program. I worked toward this for three long years.

The first time I applied, the professor said, “Your story is amazing, but we’re not looking for stories. We’re looking for economic impact, and you must have revenue of $1 million or more to do that.”

I had been close to that mark but had never quite hit it until I was challenged. Once the professor said I didn’t qualify and couldn’t be part of the program until I reached that benchmark, that lit a fire under me.

In my heart, I knew that I needed to be surrounded by amazingly successful people and their energy, experiences, stories, and support—everything the initiative brought out in each person. I knew I had what it took to get there, and I was determined to make it happen.

Adding to the challenge was being in the middle of the pandemic. I took that challenge, transforming disappointment into fire, into determination, and looked for more ways, more people, who I could help and impact their lives and businesses. Even though I had a goal, it could never be only about me. I NEED to raise others, elevate them, and make a difference.

Working as a Team

I knew that our team could work together to reach this goal I had set. It wasn’t long before the magic started to happen, new connections were made, and we hit the million-dollar mark in 2020 and 2021.

Together with my team, we created the magic that allowed me to enter the program I had dreamed of for so long and provided the access that comes with success. Access to people, circumstances, opportunities, connections, reputation, and most of all, allowing us to lead the way and make a difference in the lives of others.

What About You?

As you have considered what success means for you, have you thought about what access you have? Are you putting yourself out there so that you, too, can have access to amazing opportunities?

Even more, how are you leading the way? How are you paving the way for others? How are you giving access and opening doors? Are you open to becoming a mentor, to giving someone else an opportunity?

Give yourself permission to get access. Seek opportunities where you can have micro-moments of impact. Learn from others and accept the impact they have on your life.

I have learned that for me, success is access. What is success for you?