Re-thinking Success | Part 1

Challenging a culture that measures success on what you do

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I was on a zoom call a few weeks ago¹ and the host of the call said that she wanted everyone to share their wins and successes, nothing was off limits. The intention behind the invitation was to give the women on the call a chance to acknowledge their wins, past or present.

I was leaving the call so I didn’t share anything but I did think about what would I have shared, what are my successes and my wins right now in my life? What is success to me and has my perspective of success shifted over the course of my adult life? I discovered that the answer is yes, I view success very differently than I have in the past.

The list that began forming in my head gave me pause. My list was so different from what I would have shared a decade ago.

What are my wins?

Some of the things that immediately came to my mind were, I like who I am. I am generous. I am thoughtful. I love encouraging others, especially women and children and I’m good at it. I am honest. I am trustworthy. I am a dependable and a loyal friend. I show up for my people consistently. I am a keeper of secrets and a safe space for the people closest to me. I am consistent. I have peace in my every day and find joy in the ordinary moments of my life. I am content—there are things I want to experience in this life, but I am also content with exactly who and where I am today. I control my time (for the most part) and my time reflects who and what matters most to me.

Those are the things that came to my mind as wins, as successes. The fact that I love who I am and can be who I am all day, every day is my success.

Re-defining Success

What is success to you? When you think of your current (or past) wins, what comes to your mind?