 Even though the word success is subjective and ever-changing, we have all experienced those days when we feel like an absolute failure. Many times we are faced with certain doubts and confusions about our life's journey that we start to wonder whether or not they are on the right part. Are you confused about your present position in life? Do you want to determine whether or not you are making progress in your journey towards success? Well, in this video, I will be sharing with you 9 signs you are closer to success. 1. You don't expect people to do things for you Several individuals can't get their act together, so they sit around waiting for the world to sort out their problems. They will call on their friends, family and even co-workers to support them way too often, and they always complain about the myriad of trivial issues that keep them from reaching their goals. People who expect others to carry out tasks for them lack the courage to do things for themselves. On the other hand, truly successful people like to take things into their own hands and they take responsibility for their actions or inaction. So, if you notice that your expectation level dropped and your confidence increased, then you are closer to attaining success. 2. You keep your things well organized Whenever you hear someone with any level of success talk about how they thrive in chaos, you will note that they attest to having a unique way of organizing their files. Successful individuals are always creating systems so that they can do things in an orderly manner. Some work best when sitting in the middle of large stacks of paper or looking back and forth from their phone to their laptop screen with over a dozen tabs open. However, if you look closer, there is a method to their supposed madness. It does not matter how you are about your work, whether you like everything to be in the right place or you like to let your thoughts fly freely and have your work spread out across the room. If you can easily find a process to get what you need to work efficiently, then you can consider yourself organized. The more organized you are, the closer you are to succeed. 3. You have a desire to improve Although everybody has dreams and ambitions, not everyone is willing to commit to taking the necessary steps. People may not have the zeal to improve because of fear, lack of creative ideas or they are just too lazy and used to settle for less if it means they don't have to work too hard. But then again, there are those who have a burning desire to continually improve, learn new things, pick up new skills and sacrifice some fun and enjoyment now to be better in the future. The latter group is the one that keeps improving year after year, getting things done one step at a time. 4. You are not ashamed to seek advice Many individuals will not ask for help, not even if they are going in the wrong direction. This attitude could be as a result of pride. They assume that asking for help means acknowledging that you are less than the other person. Although there are some reasonable frail egos, those who aren't afraid to ask for help and advice will overcome obstacles much quicker, gain plenty of useful insight and will be able to apply what they have learned in the future. A false sense of pride will ensure that you never make any serious progress. So when you get to the point where your satisfaction can no longer stop you from requesting for something you need to attain your goals, then you are closer to success. 5. Failure is a source of motivation The problem most people fall into is that they allow themselves to be easily defeated, just one fall and they refuse to keep moving. Of course, we all screw up from time to time and even fail miserably when attempting to do things, but failure is not a reason to start shouting obscenities. Those who use failure to fuel their desire to become better and manage to learn from all the mistakes they make along the way, these are the people who go on to achieve greatness. There is a need for you to understand that failure is not the opposite of success. Instead, it is a path that you must take if you want to reach success. The moment you begin to use your mistakes and failures are stepping stones to your destination, you begin to move nearer to success. 6. You have the heart of a leader The problem most people fall into is that they allow themselves to be easily defeated. Of course, we all screw up from time to time and even fail miserably when attempting new things, but that's no reason to start shouting obscenities while living your fist at the sky and then give up all hope. Those who use failure to fuel their desire to become better and manage to learn from all the mistakes they make along the way, these are the people who go on to achieve greatness. 7. You are always looking for better ways to do things On an episode of Business Insiders' Podcast, Success, How I Did It, John Scurley, a former Apple CEO and President of Pepsi, said that throughout his career he has always asked questions like, why is it done this way? According to him, success is largely about the willingness to solve a problem in a way that it has never been solved before. The opposite of innovation is mediocrity. A mediocre individual is often resistant to change. This resistance makes it difficult to make forward movement. Scott Galloway, a clinical professor of marketing at New York University's Stern School of Business and the author of the new book The Four, the healing DNA of Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google, once wrote that trying to resist the tide of change will drown you. Successful people in a digital age are those who go to work every day, not dreading the net change but asking, what if we did it this way? When you remove the box that stands as resistance to your thinking, you are headed towards success. 8. You are using your strengths Your signature strength is simply those things that you are uniquely good at. Everybody on earth is born with signature strengths, yet not everyone gets to utilize those inborn abilities. These abilities are the things that separate you from the rest of the world. Your signature strength will manifest only when you open up yourself to discover, develop and deploy them. When you find out these strengths, they make you stand out and give you an edge above every other person. As Eric Barker, author of Barking Up the Wrong Tree, once said, the more often you use those skills, the more you are happier, respected and the more you feel good about your job. Also, if you are using those skills in your job, you are going to achieve more. 9. You are willing to take calculated risks Only the strong hearted can move out of their comfort zones and take a calculated risk. Every person who has ever attained success took a step into the path that others dreaded. In life, there is no success without the willingness to take chances. A practical example of taking calculated risks is the story of Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon and the richest man in the world. Jeff has spoken often about how he decides which risks to pursue. In one interview, Bezos explained how he decided to found Amazon. Bezos once said, I knew that when I was 80, I was not going to regret having tried this. I was not going to regret trying to participate in this thing called the Internet, that I thought was going to be a huge deal. I knew that if I failed, I wouldn't regret that, but I knew the one thing I might regret is not ever having tried. I knew that would haunt me every day. When you begin to see yourself stepping into unfamiliar grounds and taking risks, now know that you are closer to success. It is a familiar feeling when things don't go as exactly as planned, but if you must be successful, you must keep pushing hard towards your goal.