What is success

Success has no deadline.
In fact, according to the Forbes Top 100 list, on average, the people who found the world’s biggest companies don’t start until age 35. Out of 539 founders, the average age of starting their company was 40. Many of the world’s most successful people don’t even start pursuing their dreams until their 50s or 60s.
Success doesn’t mean by a certain age, at a certain time, or by a certain deadline. It isn’t about any other person’s measures or metrics except your own. 
You can decide when is the prime of your life.
I’ve always wanted to write a book. And at age 40, I did.
But the book I published didn’t feel like “My Book.” And in fact, I almost felt like an imposter.
By age 50, I thought I was ready, but the timing wasn’t right.
Not until I turned 60 did I feel ready and able to write the book I truly wanted to write. Now more than ever, I feel ready to let “My Book” spill out of me and onto the page.
Success must match the rhythm of your soul.
Writing “My Book” came naturally only after some major life lessons and transformations. I used those experiences to answer the big questions in my soul. But it could only happen at the right moment.
I used one of the most cathartic and depressing points of my life as the catalyst to define my take on success. It came when I stepped out of the closet — only to lose family and friends, status and regard.
In the midst of this heartbreak and hope, I was vulnerable. I realized what I needed most at this point in my life: open minds and soft hearts.
My mind had opened wide enough to burst out of silence and hiding. I wanted soft hearts and compassion because my heart had softened, too. An open mind and soft heart finally became the seedbed for the most courageous act of my life to that point. 
Moving forward, I sought these values in myself and others, above all. I defined for myself that, at the end of my life, the most important markers of success would be how I answer these two questions:

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  How open is my mind? 
  
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  How soft has my heart remained? 
  

These questions define what success looks like for me.
When my mind is closed to new ideas and resisting change, I’m not achieving my definition of success. When my heart is hard, holding onto anger and hate, I’m failing.
I measure personal success based on the people who had my back at my most vulnerable point. I carry these questions with me, to guide me through transitions and transformations rocking the foundations of my life.
Today, these questions lead me through successful ventures in all areas of my life.
Including the ability to finally write the book I’ve always wanted to write.
Understanding success in your terms doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time, and many acts of courage, to uncover the deeper questions at the heart of your success journey.
You have to learn how to believe in yourself.
So the question becomes: