When I think about success, I no longer picture a finish line with a title, a number in a bank account, or a checklist of achievements. Those can be meaningful, but they are only part of the story. Real success, the kind that lasts, is living in a way that makes sense to you, not to everyone watching. It means setting goals that challenge you, while keeping space for the people and moments that make the work worth doing.
It is easy to aim so high that we forget to enjoy the climb. We tell ourselves we will slow down later, celebrate later, reconnect later, and later keeps moving. Careers are important, but when focus turns into fixation, the gap between us and the people we love quietly widens. A promotion feels less sweet when it costs the relationships that keep us grounded.
I try to measure progress with questions that look beyond output. Did I show up for my family today, did I protect my health, did I practice my craft with care, did I make time to rest. If the answer is yes to most of these, I am succeeding, even if the milestone is still ahead.
Redefining success is not lowering the bar, it is widening the lens. Put your values in writing, choose a few metrics that honor both career and connection, and schedule time for loved ones with the same seriousness you give to meetings. Let your goals serve your life, not swallow it.
“Success is getting what you want, happiness is wanting what you get,” — Dale Carnegie
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