Once upon a time, many years ago, my car needed to be towed into the local auto shop. The driver who rescued me from the side of the road looked like a scruffy old lumber jack. He had a full beard and was wearing a red plaid flannel shirt. As he drove me and my car back into town, we started talking about life and dreams.

Turns out he was once a chemical engineer, making a six-figure salary, and gave it all up to own his own tow-truck business. He made half as much, but was happier than he’d ever been. This was the life … for him.

Not everyone defines business success in the same way. For some it is measured by profitability, income and other financial goals. For others, it is the lifestyle they are empowered to live because of their business. Regardless of how you define business success, realize that you are the one who creates that definition.

What do you want out of the hours in which you are awake? How do you want to spend those hours? What kind of income do you need to support that dream? Take time to answer those questions. Journal about it. Explore your life desires. Only then can you start building the business that brings you your kind of success.

Here are some questions to get you started:

• What does your ideal day look like?
• How much time do you work in your business each week?
• How much time do you work on your business each week?
• How much time do you spend having fun each week?
• How much time do you spend in “you time” each week?

Use lots of word pictures to answer these questions. Include how things look, feel, sound, smell and taste. Create a visceral, sensual description of your life as you’d like to live it. Don’t get bogged down in how much all that will cost. What you’re going after here is the feeling you wish to create in your life. The money will come to support that later.

Now look at what you’ve written: How does all this point to how you define success in business?

March is International Expect Success Month, so for the four Fridays this month, I’ve be talking about success from a variety of angles.

March 6: Do you expect success?
March 13: Defining financial success
March 20: Defining success in relationships

Up next month: Informed Women Month: I’ll be sharing information that women entrepreneurs need to know about health and working from home, mindset and marketing your business, relationships and entrepreneurship, and the link between spirit and business.

Originally created for the TidBitts.com platform, launched in September of 2014, my content on Fridays helps you “Own Your Awesome” in the eight facets of your life.