Everyones definition of success is different and it depends on a lot of different factors. But what remains the same is that everyone wants to succeed in life, and as productivity blog Dumb Little Man points out, the first step is to define what success means to you so you know when youre satisfied.

Photo by Michael Lemmon.

The question might seem obvious, but as Dumb Little Man points out its probably not as concrete of an idea as it seems. Most people are going to list a good salary, health or a happy family life as their idea of success, but they need personal definitions:

Unless youre clear on exactly what a good salary means to you, its going to be hard for you to be satisfied. And the same goes for other areas, like your health and your family life. Sure, you cant put a figure on those but you can write down a detailed description of what success will look like in those areas.

Until you define your version of success, you dont really have anything to strive for and you dont know when to stop pursuing it. Defining success might seem simple, but its worth the extra mental effort to make sure you have a good working definition for yourself.

Do You Know What Success Means for You? [Dumb Little Man]

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Define Success Before Trying To Pursue It

EUGENE, Ore. (21-Jun) -- Julia Lucas only lives about a mile from historic Hayward Field, site of the USA Olympic Trials which open here on Friday. But, her journey to the starting line started thousands of miles away in North Carolina last September when the battered and then dejected athlete tried to reconnect to what she truly loved about running.

"I said after U.S. Nationals last year that this is the last year I've got to make it work," the 28 year-old athlete told Race Results Weekly in an interview here today.

Lucas had finished ninth in the second heat of the 1500m, and would not run another track race for the rest of the summer. Her body, plagued over a 15-year running career with seven different stress fractures to her feet and legs, wasn't cooperating, and her spirits were low. She needed to reconnect with the roots of her success: her time competing at North Carolina State University, where she won the Atlantic Coast Conference 5000m title in 2005 and 2006, and finished fourth in the NCAA 5000m in 2007. She contacted her old coaches, Rollie Geiger and Laurie Henes, and asked if she could essentially rejoin her old team.

"I felt like it could work," Lucas remembered. She continued: "Also, just being around my college teammates that are truly supportive. I went back to North Carolina, and left beating my chest in warrior mode. It was an emotional rebirth."

Staying in Henes's attic, she worked out with the N.C. State team for six weeks last fall, living apart from her husband, Olympian Ian Dobson, for the longest period of their marriage. She loved the feeling of being surrounded by a team of young women.

"The team environment to me is extremely important," Lucas said. "When I left the team in college and went out to be a professional runner, that was impossible. I'm still not making any money. I've got to do it for some other reason. If I don't have that reason, it's impossible. Having teammates, it's not that they are my reason but they remind me of my reasons that I do this."

Feeling the healthiest she had in years, Lucas did two races last fall --a road mile in England and the USA 10-K Road Running Championships in Boston-- and put up satisfying results. She finished fourth in the 10-K, getting a road personal best of 33:39.

Returning here to Eugene to train with the Oregon Track Club Elite, a Nike-sponsored track and field team here, Lucas said she finally had learned to train in a way which would keep her from breaking down. Working with her coach Mark Rowland, she said she got the support she needed from him and the group, but was able to train in her own style. She said she was prone to injuries because of her running style.

"You've seen the way I run," Lucas said, looking embarrassed. "I'm just goofy. I'm just not the physical specimen, I'm not a thoroughbred."

Describing her running style as "gawky," Lucas said that grinding hard until it hurt was a recipe for disaster for her, and only led to the boom and bust cycles of getting fit only to get hurt again.

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(RRW) Athletics: Reborn Lucas Poised for Trials Success

By Steve Van Tiem - June 20, 2012 | Tickers: CMG, JACK, PNRA | 0 Comments

Steve is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network -- entries represent the personal opinions of our bloggers and are not formally edited.

When considering a potential new investment like Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE: CMG), I first conduct due diligence on the capability and integrity of the management team, even before digging into the financials to examine revenue growth, profit margins, cash flow, and debt levels. Because it implements strategy and allocates the companys capital, evaluating the management team is crucial to estimating a company's prospective long-term results. The presence of a capable and shareholder-friendly management team gives investors confidence that past operating success will continue into the future and lead to continued shareholder gains. To evaluate management, I look at how closely their interests are aligned with the shareholders' interests, the returns on investment that they have produced, and the total compensation they have taken for their efforts.

The first measure that I assess is how closely the senior managers interests are aligned with mine as a shareholder. The key insiders of Chipotle, which as a group includes five executives and five independent directors, hold 1.7% of outstanding shares. This percentage of ownership is better than two of Chipotles fast casual restaurant competitors, Jack in the Box, Inc. (NASDAQ: JACK) and Panera Bread Company, Inc. (NASDAQ: PNRA) at 1.4% and 0.8%, respectively. The holdings of the key insiders of Chipotle are down over the past 12 months so this factor rates as neutral to good for Chipotle.

A second measure of management is their ability to produce returns on invested capital. Chipotle scores very well as return on invested capital (ROIC) has steadily improved to more than 23% in 2011 from 13% in 2008 and 2.7% in 2004. The average ROIC has been 14.8% since 2004. It is also very bullish that the company has achieved this without long-term debt, so return on equity has matched ROIC. By contrast, Jack in the Box and Panera have generated average ROIC of 10.9% and 16.7%, respectively, since 2004. In 2011, ROIC was 9.2% for Jack in the Box and 21.7% for Panera. Chipotles upward trend and most recent annual ROIC distinguish it among its peers.

My last test of management is the total compensation the companys managers have taken in comparison to revenue growth, returns to shareholders, and compensation taken by similar competitors. Chipotles compensation of key executives increased by an average annual compound rate of more than 36% from 2007 through 2011. Given that the share price rose by 43% compounded annually over the same time, this growth in compensation is reasonable. Note that there are no dividends, thus the return to shareholders is solely from share price appreciation.

The companys compensation appears less beneficial for investors, however, when considering revenue growth. Chipotles compensation has increased to 2.2% of revenue in 2011 from 1.3% in 2007, while Jack in the Box's compensation was 0.5% of revenue in 2011 and 0.2% in 2007 and Panera's compensation was 0.6% of revenue in 2011, up from about 0.2% in 2007. While lower management compensation as a percentage of revenue at Panera and Jack in the Box would seem to be better for investors, these lower payout rates are appropriate for their managements because their share prices have lagged Chipotle. Jack in the Box saw its shares decline by more than 7% compounded annually between 2007 and 2011 while Panera's shares rose by more than 20% compounded annually during that time, compared to 43% annually for Chipotle.

Overall, it appears that Chipotle's management has its interests in line with the shareholders. They generally satisfy my standards for integrity and capability, thus the company is a good investment candidate that merits further due diligence regarding the attractiveness of its financial position and operating results. Despite a big increase in share price to a recent $417 per share, which is near an all-time high, the quality of the companys management leads me to believe that Chipotle may be well positioned to continue rewarding shareholders through rising intrinsic value. In a future posting, I will examine the companys operating metrics including revenue and cash flow growth, profitability, debt levels, and working capital efficiency to assess the prospects for continued share price appreciation.

Steve Van Tiem is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network

22 Published Posts

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Superior Management a Key Ingredient to Chipotle's Success

Business Travel Success is the go-to guide for everything travel-related, from flying, driving, and train and bus riding. Margolis shares vital tips on how to find the cheapest hotel rate, how to make sure you're dressed appropriately for any business occasion, and how to stretch your travel budget. Margolis also offers packing tips, like the bundle or hobo method, and why you should pack baking soda instead of both toothpaste and deodorant! Business Travel Success offers some surprising hints on how to escape the unwanted and sometimes smelly presence of airplane seatmates and also includes entire chapters addressing traveler needs regarding safety, health and fitness, personal matters, social media, and much more. After reading Business Travel Success, new and old road warriors will discover that traveling can be a pleasurable experience instead of torture. Also, thanks to the relationship tips in Business Travel Success, traveling home will be the best journey of all!

About the Author: As the CEO of an international consulting firm, Carol Margolis has spent 25 years traveling nationally and internationally across six continents for business. She is a seasoned road warrior and wrote 70 Secrets to Safe Travel. Margolis also founded SmartWomenTravelers.com which is dedicated to helping women who travel. Margolis also created the program Business Travel Success, which helps both first-time travelers and other seasoned road warriors improve their business travel experiences. Margolis has experienced great success and appears on Reuters.com and USAToday.com, as well as being welcomed as a frequent radio and television guest on Good Morning America and Fox News. She is also often quoted in USA Today, the LA Times, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal.

More About This Title: Business Travel Success...How to Reduce Stress, Be More Productive and Travel With Confidence! available on Amazon.

Business Travel Success: How to Reduce Stress, Be More Productive and Travel with Confidence by Carol Margolis was released by Morgan James Publishing on May 1, 2012. Business Travel Success: How to Reduce Stress, Be More Productive and Travel with Confidence, ISBN 9781614481296, has 252 pages and is being sold as a trade paperback for $21.95.

If you would like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Carol Margolis, please call Vivian Deuschl of Deuschl Hospitality Public Relations at 703-941-6225 or email Vivian at vdeuschl@gmail.com.

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Business Travel Success - 100's of Travel Tips!

Boston The seven Bain Capital founders believed they were so destined to make millions that the young men posed for a photo on the grand marble staircase of Bostons Copley Place with $10 and $20 bills popping out of their shirt collars, tucked behind their eyeglasses and clutched in their teeth.

Their confidence was warranted. One went on to run an airline, another to buy a basketball team, and another to oversee two health-care companies and build custom roadsters.

Their leader, Mitt Romney, went on to become governor of Massachusetts and this years likely Republican presidential nominee.

At the 1984 photo shoot, Romney and his partners were celebrating not only their new company but also the ethos of their era. They had just given up their jobs as consultants at Bain & Co. to start Bain Capital with one overarching goal: to create wealth. They were, to use a favorite Romneyism, dreamers.

Nearly three decades later, the black-and-white snapshot captures a moment when Romney was about to become wildly successful in business, giving him the resources and a critical credential for entering national politics.

Yet the photo also embodies one of Romneys challenges as a candidate: his wealth.

President Obama has seized upon his challengers position at the apex of American capitalism to portray him as elite and out of touch.

Were the poster children for class warfare now, said Geoffrey S. Rehnert, one of the seven partners in the photograph. Thats something I never anticipated. Rehnert and other partners said they are unhappy about the politicization of the image. One of Romneys mentors called the shot tacky and inappropriate.

The cocky assurance that Romney and his buddies displayed in the photo belied their youth and inexperience. Romney, then 36, was a success by any measure. He had risen through the Bain ranks quickly, and he was earning a good living and raising five sons.

Running Bain Capital was the biggest challenge yet in his career, and he approached it cautiously and gradually, with the same careful evaluation and reliance on analytics that would characterize his political campaigns and term as governor.

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1984 Bain Capital money photo captured Romney on eve of major success

20 June 2012 Last updated at 19:00 ET By Bill Wilson Business reporter, BBC News

World champion cyclist Mark Cavendish - who justifiably describes himself as "the fastest man on two wheels'"- has a strenuous summer ahead of him.

The 27-year-old defends the green jersey he won in the 2011 Tour de France, while also looking to win gold in the London 2012 cycling road race.

Before competing in the Olympics, he will have cycled some 3,500km (2,175 miles) in the Tour de France, which gets under way in Belgium on 30 June.

The Manxman is a winner of 20 stages in the last four Tours.

Six days after the end of the 99th staging of the Tour, he will then line up in London on 28 July for the Olympic road race, the climax of which ends in the Mall.

"It is not easy but it is possible," says the sprint specialist, speaking at a Sport Industry Group event in London.

"I am doing both for different reasons.

"There are some guys missing out the Tour de France to concentrate on the Olympics.

"But the Tour de France is the biggest cycling race in the world, commercially. For any sponsor putting money into cycling, the race is a big factor in any deal."

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Cavendish sprints for cycling success

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19-06-2012 01:08 In this video I break down the importance and value of having a daily personal morning success ritual. I also share what kind of things to include in your ritual an how to get yourself to do it. I recorded this video after the first day of going through Eben Pagan's Wake Up Productive so I also share my ritual, how it went and I talk about the resistance that came up. Enjoy. Please leave a comment.

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Eben Pagan Wake Up Productive Fast Start Session 6 - Personal Morning Success Ritual - Video

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7LCJuokMCI

19-06-2012 07:17 presents - Imagine Wisie Inspirational Video for Personal Development "When you are feeling exhausted and you are losing your enthusiasm, take some time to breathe. .. Imagine enthusiasm and joy flowing through your body and replenishing your spirit." Watch this video to learn how you can simplify your life, take a breather, and do something that helps you to relax and clear your mind. Receive Wisie for Success videos daily in your inbox to experience greater personal growth and self improvement.

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Imagine: Wisie Inspirational Video for Personal Development - Video

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Highlights

The media frenzy that accompanies presidential elections brings a sharp focus on practically every detail of a campaign, from the candidates' debate skills on down to their haircuts.

But for all the ink that candidates' campaigns get, Americans' feelings about their own personal finances and the economy likely will influence the outcome of the election more than any press conference gaffe or debate zinger.

As part of the June edition of the Bankrate's Financial Security Index, Bankrate asked Americans how much their personal finances would influence their vote in the presidential election.

The result? Nearly 6 in 10 Americans reported their personal finances will be either the "single most important factor" or "one of several important factors" in their choice of which candidate they'll pull the lever for in November.

Bankrate's survey was conducted by Princeton Research Associates International via landline and cellphone interviews from June 7 to 10, with a nationally representative sample of 1,000 adults in the continental U.S. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.

In the survey, Americans were deeply divided about which candidate will help households get back on track financially. Of those surveyed, 21 percent said their personal financial situations would be better under former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, 21 percent said they would be better under President Barack Obama and 8 percent were undecided.

Another 50 percent said the eventual winner wouldn't make much difference to their personal finances, suggesting neither candidate has really convinced voters they can fix the U.S. economy, says Matthew Singer, a professor of political science at the University of Connecticut.

That 50 percent number also hints at the deep economic pessimism in the country as the campaigns ramp up, says Michael Walden, the Reynolds distinguished professor of economics at North Carolina State University.

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Personal finances key to 2012 election

The New York Post's Lou Lumenick says Leonardo DiCaprio is a "tour de force" in depicting the conflicted FBI director in upcoming film "J.Edgar."

In final talks to play lead role ... Former 'Neighbours' starlet Margot Robbie. Source: Getty Images

FORMER "Neighbours" starlet Margot Robbie may have had a bit of bad luck, with her airline TV series Pan Am being axed in the US.

But the up-and-coming actress, currently shooting comedy movie About Time with Rachael McAdams in England, is being tipped for one of the year's biggest film roles.

Pictures: Margor Robbie in Ralph's 150 Hottest Australian Women

The 21-year-old Melbourne local is reportedly in final talks with producers of the much-buzzed-about Martin Scorsese-directed The Wolf Of Wall Street - opposite Leonardo DiCaprio.

Pictures: Margot Robbie at Australians in Film's Breakthrough Awards

Pictures: Leonardo DiCaprio in Australia

Pictures: Leonardo DiCaprio's Many Lovers

According to industry website Deadline, Robbie is tipped to play the female lead in the film that stars DiCaprio as the real-life (and now reformed) booze-swilling, drug-inhaling Wall Street broker Jordan Belfort.

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Robbie's howling success in Hollywood