So when you are defining success for yourself, it…
So when you are defining success for yourself, it is important to use reference points or comparisons that will give you relevant information as to your performance. Don't compare yourself to someone who is excellent at one item when that item is not important to you.
— from Goals, Action & Defining Success (Goal/Action/Success/Motivation) · GB writing
In the book
Second, you are living in several "stadiums" at once — the world of work, the world of family, the world of friends — and you do not have to be the best in any of them; you may be at the pinnacle in one and merely average in another, and that is your choice, set by how much each one truly matters to you. So choose your reference points with care, and never measure yourself against someone excellent at a thing you do not even value. Third, success is a journey, not a destination — a common and costly error is to treat it as a specific place you arrive at rather than a way of traveling. […] Define success for yourself first. Make sure your ladder leans against the right building, live by the inner scorecard rather than the outer, and remember it is a journey, not a destination. Pick the right stadiums. Choose which arenas matter to you and don't measure yourself against people excellent at what you don't value. Set goals that pull you. Make them specific and powerful, begin with the end in mind, and write them as processes you control rather than outcomes you can't. — Goals, Action & Defining Success (Goal/Action/Success/Motivation)