We all have goals - and we all have successes. There are the big goals: lose all the weight, get a new job, buy or sell a house, have a baby, graduate from college, watch your kids graduate from college. And when those goals are accomplished, we consider that success.

But there are also smaller goals, and smaller successes. I've only lost half my goal weight - but I've kept it off for four years - that's a success. I retired from a job I loved, but my husband and I took off to travel the world - our dream, and our current success. Last week I climbed a 500 meter high volcano (from sea level to summit) - another success! And today, I walked into a cafe, looked at the menu, thought about a muffin or eggs and toast, or even a BLT sandwich - but I ordered a flat white (a milkier latte) with trim milk (nonfat milk elsewhere in the world) - and THAT was a success.

So don't always measure your life by the long-term goals - there are stages along the way that are short-term goals, and you need to succeed at those.

And that's how I define success.