Who’s voice are you listening to when determining your success? If you are feeling like a failure, you may be basing your conclusion on someone else’s idea of success.
A friend called me to tell me her son received a very lucrative job offer after starting his own business a year ago. She was excited they were paying him ‘what he was really worth’.
I could not help wondering if the son felt the same way. His goal was to own his own business, not to work for someone else. He left a lucrative job in the corporate world to become a business owner. If money was his idea of success, he could have stayed in the corporate world.
She went on to say, she felt my business did not take off because I would rather be “Grammy”. After all, what else would I rather do than be a grandma? Ouch!
I let this comment seep into me. I felt like a failure. Why hadn’t my business taken off? What am I doing wrong? I have lots of experience, the education/certifications and I get great evaluations on my trainings. Why do others get rewarded and I don’t? Self-pity became my best friend.
It was funny how I was happy with my success before I talked with her. Bingo, that was the key! I had taken on her definition of success to evaluate my business instead of following my own.
When I started WorkerSmarts, I made spending time with my grandchildren and enjoying life a priority. After all, if I wanted to continue to work 60 hours a week, I would have stayed working at my previous career. Now I enjoy flexible hours and choose the projects I wish to work on.
A second priority is to work with customers who have a genuine desire to improve their work culture. As leaders, they understand the importance of caring about people. They trust I can help them reach their goals. By my own definition, I am successful.
Don’t let others determine your success.
Jean Brownlie, M.A., is a certified trainer and hybrid consultant with a listening ear and reasonable voice for growing your business.
