You’ve Outgrown Your Definition of Success

by Odilia McLeod

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗱𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂.

You worked hard, reached the goals you set for yourself. You earned the title and built a career you once wanted. Yet what once felt meaningful now feels routine.

The motivation that carried you this far no longer has the same pull, and you may be wondering what’s no longer working. Nothing is necessarily wrong. Maybe the definition of success that shaped your choices for the past decade has simply reached its expiration date.

We change, our priorities change, and what we are willing to sacrifice changes. For one person, success means reaching the C-suite. For another, it means having more freedom, pursuing creative work, building a family, or becoming a different kind of leader.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘂𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀.

We reach the finish line and discover it doesn’t feel the way we expected. The compromises cost more than we anticipated, or perhaps the accomplishment was everything we hoped it would be, but a few years later, we feel the pull toward something more.

When we don’t answer that call, autopilot takes over. We keep performing. Keep delivering. Keep looking successful from the outside, but inside, we know something no longer fits.

This doesn’t necessarily mean leaving corporate or walking away from everything you’ve built. It means being willing to examine who you are now, and 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆, 𝗴𝗼, 𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆.

That requires a different kind of approach, and a different kind of courage.

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀. Your values may have shifted, your life has changed, and with fewer working years ahead than behind, success may need to hold more than achievement.

𝗜𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆, 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆, 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀, 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿.

You may not need to push yourself harder.

You may need a reason to move forward that reflects who you are now, not only what you want to achieve, but what you value, whose lives you want to impact, the legacy you want to leave, and what you want your time here to have meant.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨?

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If you’re ready to examine who you are now, where you are, and what you want to come next, this is the work I help accomplished corporate professionals do. Message me to start the conversation: Book a Free 30 minute conversation