Are you old enough to remember the advertisement for bic lighters? It spawned the question and refers to what lights you up and brings you joy. Earlier this week I was in NYC masterminding with a group of entrepreneurs and our mentor/coach. For those of you who may not be familiar with the term, Mastermind groups offer a combination of brainstorming, education, peer accountability and support in a group setting to sharpen your business and personal skills and achieve greater or faster success.

Made popular by Napoleon Hill in his book "Think and Grow Rich", masterminding is based on the spiritual principle: "Where two or more are gathered, therein lies a third, greater mind, the mastermind".

It is always so stimulating and inspiring to hang out with other ambitious entrepreneurs who are wanting to play full out, be successful and make a difference in the world (definitely "flicks my bic"!) – IF – you don’t fall prey to the demons of "compare and despair" or "analysis paralysis". Lol! Sometimes I’ll catch myself thinking "wow, I wish I had thought of that" or "I should be doing that!". It is so easy to feel jealous of someone else’s success or, through comparison, think you are not being successful. This can literally "steal your joy".

Here are a few tips to stay true to yourself and ensure you don’t lose your joy as you build your life and your business:

1- YOU decide what success means to you. Based on what really matters to you. Your goals, your dreams, your desires… Not someone else’s. Periodically check in and re-evaluate. You are growing and changing and your needs and priorities change as you grow.

2- Don’t compare yourself to anyone but you! You have no idea what is really going on in someone else’s life or business. You don’t have the whole picture. You may not have the same priorities, experiences or challenges. Look at where you are now compared to where you have been and where to want to go and gauge your progress from that – not from what someone else is doing or where they are.

3- Be inspired, not jealous! When you see someone doing something or having something you want, use it as an opportunity to see what’s possible for you to accomplish or achieve. Say "Wow, that looks amazing! Thank you Universe, I’ll have some of what s/he’s having!" (get your mind out of the gutter, this is not "When Harry met Sally")

4- Celebrate the little things! Some dreams, goals or projects take years to come to fruition. If you make a habit of celebrating the small successes along the way, you will feel successful and sustain your joy.

So how about you? What Flicks your Bic? What lights you up and brings you joy? Are you including them in your life? Are you delegating the things that don’t?

Take a few minutes to think about it, and if you aren’t, make a plan to change that!