True Success

True success is when you are rewarded for doing work you love and excel at. It’s success that’s meaningful to you. When you can say “Yes, this is truly me! This is who I am” and achieve success while being true to yourself.

The secret to unlocking this is to look at both sides of the equation –  work that matters to you, and your inherent strengths. When you get this mix right, magic happens.

Meaningful work is not something we think about often. I’m willing to bet it wasn’t even in your realm of consideration when you started your journey many moons ago. At that point, you probably defined success by your ability to make a good living. Career choices were sensible, practical decisions based on jobs that were most in demand, and likely sprinkled with a heavy dose of parental influence. 

Of course you took your interests and strengths into consideration. But ‘meaningful work’?  You probably didn’t even know what that meant when you were younger. And even now, with more maturity, it requires deep soul searching that can be scary and confronting.

At some point though, it catches up with you. The cracks begin to show. You begin wondering if the trade offs are worth it. When that sensible logical choice, albeit with a good paycheck; is not quite enough to keep you energised and excited about going to work every day. You start questioning if you’re in the right job or career. Or even worse, self doubt creeps in and you lose confidence.

Most folks stay stuck in that loop. Dissatisfied and disengaged at work, and constantly questioning if the trade offs are worth it. But it doesn’t have to be so. Aspire for more. Believe that it is possible to achieve success doing work that is meaningful to you. That is what true success is about.

“Define success on your own terms, achieve it by your own rules, and build a life you’re proud to live” – Anne Sweeney