What success looks like to me..
"What kind of success are you envious of?" - Danielle LaPorte's question of today. "By observing our envy, we shine light on our true desires."
An interesting question and thought. The success I'm envious of has never been the corporate business ideal of work 60+ hours a week, wear expensive clothes, make a LOT of money, move up the ladder, wash, rinse, repeat.
Success is definitely about money, no doubt about that. But to me money success is having enough money to live the lifestyle you desire, while also working just enough to live the lifestyle you desire. I'm allllll about brunch with friends, dinner parties, Wednesday afternoons spent running errands, evenings curled up with a book, 10am brainstorming sessions over coffee, mid-week daycations to the mountains.. I work hard, don't get me wrong, but I make enough money working hard at my day job 4 shifts per week, and I relish that extra day of free time more than I want a couple hundred more dollars. Sure, more money would be awesome, but as it stands I make enough to pay my bills, pay down my school debt, indulge in small pleasures like meeting friends for a glass of wine, and pursue my passion of traveling. What more could I ask for? Well, I'd like to have zero debt, I'd like to own a house, I'd like to be able to work even less hours, I'd like to be able to splurge a little more on things like treating my friends or donating to good causes, I'd like to have even more time to volunteer and explore. But that will come with time. I'm pretty happy with where I'm at, and yes I'm working towards more.
Success is also about life and balance. I admire people who've created success on their own terms, who decided that their priorities lay with their family or their lust for adventure, and created a career around their life, instead of the other way around.
I totally understand people who've buckled down and gotten a degree, put in their time with work and gotten to a really good position, are making a comfortable salary, buy a car, buy a house, go on vacations to Puerto Vallarta, and can't imagine throwing it all away to traipse around Spain like a gypsy... or whatever. I get it, totally. But that has clearly never been my path, or my priority.
That being said, as I get older the comforts of home and stability definitely have become more prevalent. I have no desire to live out of my backpack like a hobo for indefinite periods of time. I have no desire to sell or give away all of my possessions (again) and have to start from scratch. I'm not big on stuff, but I love my bed, my kitchen gadgets, my brand new djembe, MY CAT, and the beautiful space I currently have to keep it all in. Love it, every piece of it, every square inch of it. Love it.
But that doesn't mean I wouldn't find a way to put it all in storage to spend a year in a sweet, kitted out Westfalia van, driving around North America like a crazy gypsy. Nope, I'd totally do that. In a heartbeat.
So I guess, after all this rambling, I've always known what success looked like to me, although it's been awhile since I've put it into words, or even clear thought. Success looks like comfort, joy, life, pleasure, and just enough hard work mixed in.
An interesting question and thought. The success I'm envious of has never been the corporate business ideal of work 60+ hours a week, wear expensive clothes, make a LOT of money, move up the ladder, wash, rinse, repeat.
Success is definitely about money, no doubt about that. But to me money success is having enough money to live the lifestyle you desire, while also working just enough to live the lifestyle you desire. I'm allllll about brunch with friends, dinner parties, Wednesday afternoons spent running errands, evenings curled up with a book, 10am brainstorming sessions over coffee, mid-week daycations to the mountains.. I work hard, don't get me wrong, but I make enough money working hard at my day job 4 shifts per week, and I relish that extra day of free time more than I want a couple hundred more dollars. Sure, more money would be awesome, but as it stands I make enough to pay my bills, pay down my school debt, indulge in small pleasures like meeting friends for a glass of wine, and pursue my passion of traveling. What more could I ask for? Well, I'd like to have zero debt, I'd like to own a house, I'd like to be able to work even less hours, I'd like to be able to splurge a little more on things like treating my friends or donating to good causes, I'd like to have even more time to volunteer and explore. But that will come with time. I'm pretty happy with where I'm at, and yes I'm working towards more.
Success is also about life and balance. I admire people who've created success on their own terms, who decided that their priorities lay with their family or their lust for adventure, and created a career around their life, instead of the other way around.
I totally understand people who've buckled down and gotten a degree, put in their time with work and gotten to a really good position, are making a comfortable salary, buy a car, buy a house, go on vacations to Puerto Vallarta, and can't imagine throwing it all away to traipse around Spain like a gypsy... or whatever. I get it, totally. But that has clearly never been my path, or my priority.
That being said, as I get older the comforts of home and stability definitely have become more prevalent. I have no desire to live out of my backpack like a hobo for indefinite periods of time. I have no desire to sell or give away all of my possessions (again) and have to start from scratch. I'm not big on stuff, but I love my bed, my kitchen gadgets, my brand new djembe, MY CAT, and the beautiful space I currently have to keep it all in. Love it, every piece of it, every square inch of it. Love it.
But that doesn't mean I wouldn't find a way to put it all in storage to spend a year in a sweet, kitted out Westfalia van, driving around North America like a crazy gypsy. Nope, I'd totally do that. In a heartbeat.
So I guess, after all this rambling, I've always known what success looked like to me, although it's been awhile since I've put it into words, or even clear thought. Success looks like comfort, joy, life, pleasure, and just enough hard work mixed in.