Real success must be gauged by the inward character resulting from a person’s lifelong efforts. Anyone can say that they are successful. But how can we gauge if we are making real progress? Perhaps here are some possible measures we can use to honestly assess ourselves, reflect on the direction of our lives, and resolve to make more progress:

1. Confidence and Certainty

A person becomes increasingly confident that whatever he or she sets out to achieve will certainly be accomplished in no distant future. Such a person might even appear to attract an outcome to themselves by sheer mental force.

2. Lessening of Fears and Desires

A person is bothered less and less by possible future outcomes (a.k.a. fear) and apparent obstacles to a goal, trusting in their own capabilities and creative power. They become more and more one-pointed in their lifelong goals (desires), and incidentally, inferior desires gradually drop off.

3. Cheerfulness

A person naturally feels cheerful more and more often, with less dependence on external circumstances.

4. Concern for Others:

A person finds themselves naturally and silently wishing prosperity to others, and the whole world, more and more often.

5. Truthfulness

A person prefers to say things that are true instead of saying things that are untrue or exaggerated, even if doing so creates inconvenience or trouble for him or herself. This person also refrains from speaking truths that are harsh, and could hurt other people.

There are many other measures (and probably better ones) that might be suggested. But when is comes down to it, all these measures seem to resolve to one main idea: belief in one’s own self.

• 

Related Articles:

• Increase Your Desire!
• 33 Quotations of Vivekananda
• Fearlessness
• 34 Ways to Simplify Your Life
• The Saint Who Went to Hell for Speaking the Truth
• The Story of the Monk and the Loincloth
• Remember Death
• 39 Rules for Life
• How to Be Successful in 3 Steps
• 10 Spiritual Stories of Sri Ramakrishna