These 5 Questions Will Tell You if You're Serious About Achieving Success

We all want to be successful. But, do you know how to go about achieving success?

Many of us don't even know where to start!

That's why we've compiled a short list of helpful questions for you to start asking yourself. 

Are you preparing yourself and setting yourself up for success? 

Once you start answering these questions:

• It should become more clear where you're missing out in your plans for success.
• You can then dig deeper in to what you're aiming for.
• Then you can break down the paths you need to take to achieve your goals.

If you don't have the answers yet, that's okay, it's part of the journey, and many of us will have no idea - yet.

The point is to identify gaps and opportunities so you have nothing in your way of achieving what you see as success in your life. 

5 Realistic Questions to Ask Yourself if You're Serious About Achieving Success

1. What is your 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

Success looks different for each and everyone of us. Even twin brothers and sisters who look the same see success differently. As humans, we all strive to become successful in one way or another, but not everyone aims for and wants to achieve the same outcome or level of success. 

On that note, one of the most important questions you need to ask yourself is “What is my definition of success?”

• Does success to you mean graduating on time and working in your dream job?
• Is it losing weight, marrying the love of your life, creative freedom or financial stability?
• Is it achieving work-life balance and having more time to spend with family and friends?

No matter what success looks like and means to you, asking yourself this question is important in order for you to know if you’ve made it or not.

If you haven’t already, it’s about time you do so because how can you know if you are successful if you haven’t defined it in your own terms? 

2. Are you prepared to take risks?

"When you take risks, you learn that there will be times when you succeed, and there will be times when you fail, and both are equally important." ― Ellen DeGeneres

You need to take risks in life if you want to become successful. Just make sure you’re taking the right ones!

And although not every risk is going to pay off, it’s going to be worth it and make you happy if it does. If not, you'll walk away with more experience and have gained some wisdom. 

Some people are prepared to risk it all to gain it all.

Others take moderate, calculated and well-analyzed risks, particularly when there is little to lose and everything to gain if it works out. They take many things into account and consideration before taking that leap, including:

• gaining knowledge
• evaluating their options
• weighing out the different pros and cons
• backing up their decisions with research

Taking risks in life also eliminates the possibility of having many what if’s, should haves and could haves.

If you want to achieve access, ask yourself if you’re prepared to take risks.

If the answer is yes, be ready to embrace failures, using them as opportunities to learn and grow along the way. Don’t be afraid to fail and do things that scare you because great things never came from your comfort zone. 

3. What does failure mean to you? 

“Remember that failure is not the opposite of success. It’s part of success.” - Unknown

Have you ever taken the time to look at your journey and define what failure means to you? If not, take some time out to think about failure.

• What does failure look like for you and when was the last time you failed hard?
• Have you plotted a course in order for you not to fail?

If yes, were you able to overcome your personal and professional failures?

4. What’s your backup plan?

“Failing to plan is planning to fail”. - Benjamin Franklin

If things go wrong, what’s next for you? You should have a backup plan and know what you are going to do next in case things don't pan out the way you hoped for and expect.

Having a backup plan doesn’t mean you’re manifesting failures, it’s actually a way to proactively prevent or recover quickly. 

Read this next: What's Your Adversity Quotient (AQ) & How Can it Help You Handle Life's Challenges?

5. What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses? 

There’s no denying that self-awareness is key to success.

In fact, this is one of the most common characteristics that successful people have. In order to become one of them, you should ask yourself to be honest about your greatest strengths and weaknesses.

Being self aware will help you get to where you want to be because you can utilize and take advantage of your strengths and work on your weak points.

Achieving Success is About Knowing What You Want 

Achieving success is definitely not a walk in the park.

If it was easy, then everyone would be there! With that said, asking yourself the questions above will help and impact you in one way or another, no matter who you are and where you come from.   

Editor's note: This article was originally published Apr 20, 2022 and has been updated to improve reader experience.

Photo by Eunice De Guzman on Unsplash