What does success mean to you?

Today, I want to dive into a topic that's been on my mind lately, and I believe it's something we can all relate to: the meaning of success. So, grab a coffee, and let's have a chat about finding our own paths to success.

It's easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life, chasing after what we think success should look like based on societal standards or the expectations of others. But here's the thing – unless we take the time to define what a successful career means to us personally, we might find ourselves running in circles, chasing someone else's version of the dream.

I've been thinking about this recently. I was very clear when I started my business in Jan 2022 about what I wanted from this new stage in my career. I wanted to do meaningful work, I wanted to help others navigate their career and I wanted to do it on my terms at a pace that allowed me to work free from anxiety and to have a thriving life outside of work.

Lately, I’ve noticed that I was comparing myself to other trainers and coaches, worried that I was not as ‘successful’ as they are. I’ve been putting pressure on myself to do more, to ‘be’ more, and that I need to constantly be striving to improve.

Even though I know this is part of my personality, and that there are societal and systemic issues that make us feel like we are not worthy unless we are constantly busy, earning lots, and in roles that look good to others.?

What I have done to stay connected to my version of success is to take the time to answer this question:?

What are my personal measures of success??

An easy way to think about this is; in one years time, how will you know if you personally feel successful??

For me, it’s quite similar to what I wanted one year ago, but now I am ready to add in another goal of feeling challenged. My business is running well and I feel I have learned a lot, I have good work-life harmony, and I’m doing work that I find meaningful, but now I want to stretch more outside my comfort zone. One way I have put this into action already is by writing an article for image.ie I have always thought I couldn’t write, so pushing myself to do this was way outside of my comfort zone (as is writing a newsletter!).?

When your personal version of success is clear, it allows you to be more intentional about the work that you say yes & no to, and it stops us comparing our lives to others.?

What are your personal measures of success??

We all know our KPIs/ OKRs and targets for our jobs, but what are our personal success metrics??

I encourage you to spend some time thinking and writing about this question today, and if you would like to share your thoughts, that would be amazing.?

In other news:?

I am holding a career journaling Workshop in September where we will explore this topic along with others to help you be more intentional with your career. All proceeds go to GlobalGiving’s Morocco earthquake relief fund. The session will be recorded so if the time does not suit, you can watch the recording and do it whenever suits you best (details are in the comment section)

I had a real 360-moment last week when I was back in Google to speak at their Career Event Week. It was lovely to be back (I was a Googler for nearly 9 years), especially talking about career development which I am so passionate about. As a Career Coach I was impressed by the thought that went into the week-long event, with talks from a wide range of speakers to help Googlers navigate and plan their careers.

*Photo credit: from Google's career week