Chapter 15.
Definition of success.
Define success on your own terms,
Achieve it by your own rules,
And build a life you're proud to live.
Anne Sweeney.
What is your definition of success?
We each have our own.
To some,
It may mean having so much money at their disposal,
And for others,
It may mean being able to do what they love.
When I first started my company,
My goal was to work 20 hours a week and earn $1,
000.
To me,
At the time,
It was the ultimate level of success,
And I thought my goals were big,
Because before then,
I had jobs working over 50 hours a week and making less than $500.
My personal values are peace,
Freedom,
And happiness.
I wanted to create my own job so I could create my own lifestyle.
The definition of success I like is the accomplishment of a purpose.
I like how they use the word purpose,
Not an abundance of things or money,
But rather the process of attaining one's own goals.
One day in the car,
My partner and I were listening to an audiobook called The Millionaire Mind by Thomas J.
Stanley.
The author started with nothing,
But now he's a millionaire.
He talked about the three pillars of wealth,
Which are pillar one,
Financial.
Most people read that book because of their desire to have a more financial wealth in their life.
It simply represents one pillar,
Not more.
Thomas J.
Stanley spoke about the importance of each pillar.
For instance,
You might have heard about young multi-millionaires who are miserable.
They're depressed and unhappy.
They don't know what their calling is,
And so they feel lost.
Yes,
They have financial wealth,
But they don't have that level of spirituality,
Joy,
Contentment,
And peace that they ultimately seek.
So then,
What is the good of having millions of dollars?
If you don't have a sense of contribution,
Purpose,
Or goals,
What is your ultimate impact on the world with all that money you have?
Pillar number two,
Health.
You can have all the money in the world,
But if you're sick in bed and unable to move and enjoy all of that money,
Then how can you enjoy that money?
Sometimes,
People work all through their lives.
They work 12-hour days for years on end,
And they put their money in the bank,
And they never truly enjoy it.
I feel that is an ultimate waste of wealth.
Imagine what that wealth could have done to help the world.
Such money that could have contributed to others and to the world in general is just locked up for years in the bank without any real use.
Pillar number three,
Spirituality.
The third pillar is this spiritual aspect.
It's wonderful to have amazing health and an amazing income,
But what if you feel lost,
Sad,
And depressed all the time?
Or waste your money on drugs or alcohol,
Which some millionaires have done.
These millionaires may not have fully appreciated or truly valued the gift that was given to them,
The tool that they were given to use in order to help others.
I love envisioning that we are these vessels and money flows through us.
We can distribute money how we see fit based on our values and our spiritual beliefs.
Some people decide to tithe and give at least 10% of what they earn to causes that are important to them.
Causes or charities that have helped them succeed,
Or they give back to the community.
People give and transfer money.
I believe it's a very important responsibility to take the money that people have given you and to recycle it back to the community in some way that you are called to.
This money distribution creates a nice flow.
Most books that I have read speak about the importance of giving back.
I believe that's the real secret to success.
When we have the mindset of lack,
The antidote to that is to contribute more,
Which may feel very counterintuitive.
You may fear that you won't have enough and then trust that you will and give even more back and to a cause that you believe in.
A positive cause that fuels your soul and fuels your mission.
For me,
That's entrepreneurship.
One cause which I love is Opportunity International Canada.
They give micro loans to entrepreneurs,
Mostly women,
In developing nations.
The organization has realized that women are more likely to be better at managing their money and are able to record a 97% success rate,
Making it easier for them to pay back their loans.
As the companies of these female business owners grow,
They start hiring members of their own community,
Thereby creating jobs for the locals.
These women create a service that solves the different needs in their communities.
They make their children proud and also get a healthy dose of self-pride in their achievements.
In 2021,
An entrepreneur in a developing nation requires only about $40 Canadian to help kick-start their business,
Whereas in Canada,
Around $40,
000 Canadian is needed to help an entrepreneur start their business.
When I donate to these charities,
I can make more than a 1,
000 times the impact.
Opportunity International Canada is one of the top 10 charities in Canada currently and I'm very grateful to have been supporting this particular charity since 2014.
Community contribution and encouraging entrepreneurship are some of the values I hold dear.
I think entrepreneurship not only helps solve problems for others,
But also solve problems for the entrepreneur themselves.
I invite you to think about the causes that touch your heart and that you would be proud and grateful to support.
I'll repeat the same as most other books I read because I feel the purpose of earning lots of money and wealth is to be in a position to distribute that wealth back to others in greater need.
Our impact as an entrepreneur will then multiply.
It is said that the amount of money you have in your bank account is directly related to how many people you've impacted.
It's not about receiving a specific dollar amount.
It's about how many people you or your company has helped along your journey and that exactly correlates to how much money your company earns every year.
I really like thinking about these three pillars of wealth.
I've learned that one pillar is not any more important than the other two.
Every pillar is equally as important and so if I want to live in a balance,
I have to prioritize these three equally.
If for some reason some weeks are more focused on my financial wealth,
Then I must stop and also enjoy a valuable time to meditate and to be in nature in order to work on my spiritual wealth.
Other times I may need to prioritize my physical health and whip up a healthy nourishing meal or go for the second walk of the day.
An important part of my goals this year is to attain the ultimate level of wealth and success and to prioritize each pillar equally in my daily agenda.
When I talk about these three pillars with other entrepreneurs,
Usually one pillar jumps out at them and they know that that's the pillar that they need to work on.
So I'm curious,
Which pillar do you want to focus on this year?
