WHAT IS SUCCESS? This is an important question to reflect upon when considering your professional life. Don’t be surprised if a clear definition doesn’t come to mind right away. You are not alone. Try asking 10 people what success is, and you’ll get 10 different answers. It’s a powerful word with an elusive meaning. At least on the surface, it appears that it takes a life of its own across different cultures and generations. Without a concise definition, how could you determine whether you are successful or on track for success?

When faced with a question you can’t quite wrap your head around, it’s natural to look elsewhere for answers. Let’s explore and illustrate this concept with a simple example. Are you tall? If a clear definition of being tall doesn’t come to mind, you’ll immediately start comparing yourself with people you know or care about. This is because you are in search of a point of reference to measure yourself against others, all in hopes of discovering a satisfying response to the question at hand.

When you ask questions about success, instead of looking for answers externally, you should look for answers internally. Otherwise, you fall into the trap of adopting an incorrect, subjective, or biased definition in your thought process about success.

Take a minute to compare yourself with the famous Roman emperor, Julius Cesar. He was a great military strategist and the leader of one of the largest empires ever known to man. Would you say that Cesar was successful? If you could ask him, what do you think he’d say? Be mindful that he was stabbed 23 times and assassinated by some of his closest allies. Compared to him, would you deem yourself successful?

Maybe you think a comparison with someone who died over 2,067 years ago is far-fetched, or even silly, to say the least. So, let’s try again as you take another minute to compare yourself to a 30-year-old CEO of a technology company named in Forbes as the world's youngest female self-made billionaire. Would you say she’s successful? I just described Elizabeth Holmes. If you could ask her, what do you think she’d say? Be mindful that she was sent to prison to serve an 11-year sentence for fraud, away from her two kids and husband. Are you successful compared to her?

The problem with comparing yourself to others is that everyone wants something different in life. You rarely have enough information about others to accurately assess how they feel about their accomplishments. We all have different goals. Since personal goals are the main drivers of the pursuit of success, you are the only one who can determine whether you’re successful.

At first thought, historically important individuals like Julius Cesar and corporate titans like Steve Jobs all seem to fit the “idea of success.” They are certainly inspiring, but for most of us, following in their footsteps or relating to their lives might not be possible. Most of us just want to be ourselves.

That’s why I wrote this book.

While many books discuss success, I struggle to recommend one that hits home for the average person. People like you and me. To be successful, you don’t have to change the world, be rich, or be famous. Success isn’t an aspirational, elusive, or impossible idea. There’s a clear path to success that everyone can follow. I’ll delve into these topics in depth through this book.

Within these pages, you’ll find lessons from my life and stories about people I’ve met—from close friends, to presidents, to a former drug cartel member—all of whom inspired me in my pursuit of success. The Five Doors of Success describes a systemized approach that includes the critical steps to success. This approach, which I adopted, enabled me to grow in my career from a minimum-wage job to a C-level executive role.