Turning 60 and Defining Success

Birthdays – especially milestones – can be scary for some and exciting for others. My 60th birthday is this month and facing this milestone has given me a moment to pause and reflect upon my life and career (which are almost one and the same).

Many people would say that I have a successful and fruitful career. But what determines “success”? For some, it is how much money you have in the bank, for others it may be how much happiness you have in your life. As I look upon my career, yes, there have been individual moments that define success however, real long-lasting success, real accomplishment is more a journey, not the destination and is made up of several components:

• Knowing what is important.

 You will achieve a personal feeling of success simply by figuring out what is important to you and what you’re passionate about. When I ran my tax resolution company with more than 135 employees, I felt most successful when I was helping others, whether it was teaching an employee a new way to do things, saving my clients financial life, or helping a CPA friend take their business to the next level. Supporting or serving others in one manner or another during my day, makes me feel successful. The money will automatically flow to you when adopting this mindset. This “ah-ha” is what inspired me to create my Tax and Business Solutions Academy and Roz Strategies. Today, I work more in line with my unique abilities and that makes me so much more productive. – personally and professionally.

• Break the rules, create your own.

Business leaders may say that working with a spouse or friends is breaking one of the cardinal rules of business – it is akin to mixing oil with water. But not for me. I have had great business success, partially thanks to the work that is done with my family (particularly my business partner and wife) and friends. Sometimes rules apply and sometimes they don’t. In your place of business – and in your life – figure out what works for you and don’t be afraid to create your own rules and break some of the conventional ones. I built a working environment made up of family and friends and it works for me, and also makes my business successful.

• Balancing work and life.

 
I have led an office with over 135 people and I have also run a business virtually (online) with a very small group of employees. Success is not counted by the number of people who work for you. Instead, being successful means impacting people’s lives and having the ability to balance your work and your life. Running a successful smaller operation and having more free time for friends, family and hobbies is the sweetest success. 

• Impacting people’s lives doing what you love.
  
  

Having run a thriving tax resolution business for over a decade and a half was a fantastic experience. When it was time to change gears, I self-evaluated and realized that “carrying the message” by teaching and training others were my two biggest passions (in the business realm). I took these traits and built them into my next business model which trains and helps CPAs, EAs, attorneys and other professionals to build highly profitable practices through proven marketing systems and strategies. I love going to work every day. Not only am I doing what I love, but I’m having a direct positive impact on people’s lives too. Success, on two levels!

• Making your vocation more like a vacation.

 
Since I’ve been running my training and coaching services company – with a handful of employees and through a virtual office – I have been able to take my passion “on the road” to places that I like to visit. For instance, my upcoming Marketing & Technology Extravaganza event is taking place in Orlando, Florida. A 3-day seminar where I, and other business industry leaders, will teach and train attendees the latest marketing, sales, and practice management strategies to make their firms flourish. I will enjoy every minute of the event, from the seminars to the weather. My work is no longer confined to an 80 hour work week in an office. I have learned how to make my vocation more like a vacation. That is true success!

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“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”
– Maya Angelou