Today I want to speak to you about something we all think about at some point in our lives.
Something that often feels like a moving target.
Something that is sometimes imposed on us before we even realize it.
Success.
From a young age,
Many of us are taught that success is something external.
It looks like a high-paying job,
A prestigious title,
A big house,
A luxury car,
Followers,
Awards,
Degrees.
It's the kind of success that can be measured,
Shown off,
And neatly packaged into a LinkedIn post or a highlight reel.
We live in a world that praises productivity,
Busyness,
And outcomes.
Where success often feels like a checklist.
Graduate top of your class,
Land the perfect job,
Buy the house,
Find the partner,
Accumulate wealth,
And then retire early.
But there's a shadow side to this version of success.
It can leave us disconnected,
Drained,
Burned out.
Chasing someone else's dream,
Someone else's values,
Living a life that looks good,
But doesn't feel good.
Over time,
I began to see that the people I admired the most weren't always the ones society would label as successful.
To me,
True success looks very different.
It's not the millionaire with the Rolex and the Ferrari.
It's the guy who hated his job,
Left it behind,
Bought a boat,
And now sails the world with his cat,
Because that's what he always wanted to do.
It's not the person climbing the corporate ladder just to reach the top.
It's my sister,
Who was valedictorian of her high school,
Got her engineering degree,
Worked a coveted job at Shell,
And then chose to walk away.
She followed her inner voice.
She became a yoga teacher,
A writer,
A seeker.
She traded certainty for authenticity,
And to me,
That is so powerful.
It's the guy who owns a little cafe,
Because he always dreamed of creating a cozy space for his community.
It's the woman who always wanted to be a mother,
And so she chose to be a stay-at-home mum,
Pouring love and presence into the next generation.
These people are successful in my eyes,
Not because of what they have,
But because of how deeply they've listened to their own truth.
From a spiritual lens,
Success isn't about reaching some final destination.
It's not a title you earn.
It's a way of being.
To me,
Success is living in alignment with your soul.
Following your intuition,
Even when it doesn't make sense to others.
Having a clear nervous system,
So that you are present enough to hear your own inner guidance.
Having the courage to make choices that honour your unique path.
Success is not a comparison.
It's not a race.
It's a quiet knowing that you are becoming more you,
Every day.
It's the journey of remembering who you are,
Why you came here,
And what lights you up from the inside out.
So I want you to ask yourself,
What does your version of success feel like?
Not what you think it should be,
But what your soul longs for.
Maybe it's more peace,
Freedom,
Love,
Contribution.
Maybe it's just being,
Without needing to prove anything.
Whatever your answer is,
Trust it.
Your version of success is sacred,
Even if no one else understands it.
Especially if no one else understands it.
So today I invite you to let go of the outside definitions.
To soften into your own truth.
To give yourself permission to live your version of a successful life.
Because the most successful people I know,
Are simply the ones who had the courage to be true to themselves.
Thank you so much for listening.
May you walk forward with clarity,
Courage,
And with love.
I've been living my own version of a successful life for a while now.
If you feel cold,
I did make a very left-field course on it.
It's entitled A Life of Freedom,
My Journey as a Digital Nomad.
It's a series of lessons I learned living life as a solo female nomad,
Moving from country to country,
And living out of my suitcase.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic.
What does your version of success look like?
Comment below.
Thank you for listening,
And I'll see you in my next talk.
