Every one has their own definition of success. My definition of success is to be happy while working at something I believe in and am passionate about. Here are six steps I use to achieve my definition of success.
Freedom - If you don't live in a country with freedom to pursue a living as you see fit, success would be difficult by my standards. I am thankful to live in a country that provides me the freedom to choose my living. Many people do not have the freedom to seek out their own business, so it seems that one must first become free to succeed in business.
Persistence - An idea with no motion may as well have never been. No one else will ever know of an idea until the idea is brought to motion. To accomplish a goal requires that you be moving towards the goal. To continue moving towards a goal, even if the going gets tough, is persistence. To succeed in business, persistence is vital.
Vision - You need to be able to see the goal ahead of you. You must be able to visualize the success of your business, or you will never know if you've found it.
Inspiration - You can't have a vision of your goals without some inspiration. You must be excited about your goals or you will never be happy when you meet them. One whose sole inspiration is money may run a profitable business, but be unhappy and unsuccessful. Business is hard work. If your inspiration dies out, it will be difficult to go on.
Planning - Once you have a goal and are inspired and have committed to the goal, you must plan how to achieve your goal. With no map to get from A to B, you are likely to end up at C. A simple way to think about a business plan is a list of things you have to do to reach your goals. Your plan is almost sure to change along the way, and that is OK.
Discipline - The best plan in the world is not going to be much good if it requires forty hours of work per week and there are only two hours given to it. A balance of persistence to keep going and discipline to keep going at the right pace is required.
These simple ideas illustrate a larger way of looking at life, which is to break down your goals, problems and obstacles into little pieces. Moving a mountain may seem impossible, but if you break the task down into little steps, anything is possible. If you apply this principle to running a business, you are well on your way to success.