Defining Success Over Lunch

Today at lunch, my three dining companions and I found ourselves discussing “success” over a sandwich. Our discussion even had a soundtrack in the form of a single guy singing and playing guitar in the corner. (Think acoustic Oasis and Ryan Adams.) Austin is the live music capital of the word after all.

We talked about money and fancy furniture and working 20 hours a day to meet demand. But when it truly came down to it, those things had nothing to do with how we viewed success.

Here’s how we defined it in the end:

1. Enjoying what you’re doing, so much so that you might even consider doing it for free.
2. The freedom to be picky, not only about the people you work with but the clients you take on.
3. Having a happy and healthy dog curled up beside you while you work.
4. The corner office doesn’t matter much, but a change of scenery — from the backyard to the coffee shop to the weekly coworking meeting — is definitely important.
5. Relaxing enough to get a good night’s sleep.
6. The ability to continue to learn and grow.
7. I can’t remember who it was, maybe my grandmother, but years ago someone told me “success is owning a washer and dryer.”
8. Sharing it with someone you love. A sandwich or success, either one.

What did I miss? How do you define success?