Recently, I saw a graphic that compared the meaning of success and it instantly prompted me to save it. I've always known that I wanted my future to be balanced, and this was such a meaningful representation that captured everything I had dreamed of:

If you've related to the pie chart that measures success just by salary and job title, you're definitely not alone. Being thought of as 'successful' is very often the notion accompanied after seeing someone with money and prominence. Personally, I think living our lives with that standard to live up to is detrimental and harmful to our own growth, especially if that definition of success doesn't align with our goals.

The second pie chart gives a multi-dimensional look at what really makes up success, and what's striking is that it doesn't involve a specific type of career, working a certain number of hours in a day, or making a set amount of money. If we look at each category individually, we'll be able to see their proportionate importance when it comes to real success.

Job Title

Our job titles hold very little weight in our overall success and wellbeing. Really, the only importance it holds is in your job satisfaction and the literal progression of your end goal: Are you in a field that you would like to be in or can find meaning in, and is your current job a stepping stone to any career-related goal you may have?

Salary

Quite simply, with the salary you earn, are you able to have all your needs met and live a lifestyle that is true to you?

Free Time

Do you have the time to engage in activities that make you feel like, well, you? Whatever those activities may be and whomever they may be with, having free time is important in achieving healthy success. It can also be a good indicator of whether or not a job will be suitable for your lifestyle and your own physical, mental, and emotional needs.

Liking What You Do

Are you able to find meaning in, experience joy in, or gain fulfillment from your work? Evidently, being able to find this in your work will lead to you having a much more positive outlook on life and yourself. Being in a work environment you can't connect to can significantly impact your feelings of self-worth and personal self-image, which is why it's so important when building true success for yourself.

Physical and Mental Health

'Health is wealth'; it may sound cheesy but it's so very true. It's the foundation on which our outward lives are sustained and describing their actual importance in just a few words is rather difficult. A simple but very significant part of our lives is the ability to just take care of ourselves. If that's something you can accomplish - even though you may be tired at the end of the day - you're golden.

When it all comes down to it, success is just being able to be content and comfortable in your life, while also feeling like you have the energy to grow and make progress in whatever goals you may have set for yourself, if any. Although it may be challenging to find the right balance, we can find comfort in that it is not something far away: it is buildable, it is real, and it can be ours.