This weekend I conducted a very interesting interview for The Martial Arts Business Podcast, and it reminded me of how we don't always take the path we first chose for ourselves while on our way to success.

What's really interesting about this interview is that, despite the fact that the interviewee is a very accomplished martial artist, and despite that he first set out to start a martial art school, his primary business isn't teaching martial arts.

I won't spoil all the fun for you by telling you all the details before I release that interview later in the week...

...but what I will tell you is that it's probably one of the most enlightening interviews I've conducted for the podcast in quite some time.

The reason I say this is because I think we often get stuck in trying to reach our goals according to arbitrary rules and restrictions. We pursue our dreams, but according to a set path that is in keeping with the status quo, instead of blazing our own trail according to our own unique situation and needs.

And I think it's a shame that we sometimes forget that the journey is just as important as the destination. I know that sounds cliche, and it is, but I've seen more than one person get stuck on reaching a goal in their business, only because some self-proclaimed guru said, "This is what success looks like."

Well, I'm here to tell you that it's not just okay to determine your own measure of success - it's actually recommended that you do so.

Because there's nothing so disappointing as reaching your goals, only to discover that the goals you set for yourself and that you struggled so long to achieve were all based on someone else's idea of fulfillment and happiness.

I'll write more about the importance of having a personal definition of success in coming emails this week, and I'll also be talking about it on the next podcast episode (which should be ready for publication by mid-week).

So, stay tuned for that. And in the meantime, spend a few minutes today thinking about what success really means to you, and about whether or not the school you're building is really designed to get you where you want to be in life.