The Success Shift, From Status Symbols to Soulful Living

I’d like to start this post with a small moment of self-reflection.
What defines success for you?

Is it a thriving career, financial wealth, a corner office, being surrounded by loved ones, a shiny sports car, or maybe a million social media followers?

What is your measure of success?

The truth is: success is hard to define as a one-size-fits-all concept. For a professional boxer, it might mean winning a world title. For a peace activist, it might mean contributing to global harmony. Same word—very different goals.

So, what makes you successful?

Society tends to define success in terms of external accomplishments: financial gain, status, productivity, and recognition. In this framework, success is something you achieve and display. But when you ask people what truly matters to them—what their personal definition of success is—most will answer with words like love, happiness, peace, or connection. This version of success lives within.

“There seems to be a mismatch between what society defines as success and what our hearts quietly long for.”

There seems to be a mismatch between what society defines as success and what our hearts quietly long for.

So I ask again:
What defines success for you?
Is your idea of success external, or is it internal?

When I first began forming my idea of success, I was a teenager. Like many others, my image of success was shaped by pop culture. At 16, success meant luxury: sports cars, beach villas, private jets, yachts—the full glossy package. That was the life, or so I believed.

But today, at 33, my definition has changed entirely. Now, success means well-being, caring for my loved ones, helping others, and feeling aligned with who I am.

Somewhere in those 17 years, I transformed from a wannabe Gordon Gekko into someone seeking a simpler, more meaningful life.

“The earlier definition of success wasn’t really mine. It was something programmed into me by the culture around me—a collection of borrowed dreams.”

That earlier definition of success wasn’t really mine. It was something programmed into me by the culture around me—a collection of borrowed dreams.

So why shift your definition of success?

Because doing so can bring you peace. Chasing someone else’s dream is exhausting. No matter how far you run, there’s always a new hurdle to clear, a new benchmark to meet. It becomes a never-ending race—and the finish line keeps moving.

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t aspire to anything. It means redefining success in a way that feels true. It means aligning your goals with your authentic self. From that place, your energy flows outward into the world in a way that’s sustainable and fulfilling.

A personal, authentic definition of success is the foundation from which meaningful action can grow.

“Redefining success means aligning your goals with your authentic self.”

Reframing your idea of success takes time. It requires reflection—and above all, compassion for yourself.
In my experience, the best moments of clarity come after meditation, or while walking quietly in nature.

So I leave you with this:

Has your definition of success changed over the years?
Do you feel aligned with it—or is it time to reorient?