Here's what you need to know about success...

Success is funny.

It's literally defined as the accomplishment of an aim or purpose, any aim or purpose. But when I say the word success, I'm sure you, like me, have a handful of definitions that pop into your head: money, power, and popularity.

Think about it, though: are those success metrics you actively decided on? Or were they ingrained in you as something to pursue, without pausing to consider if you really agree?

The problem with this definition is that it treats success as a specific destination based solely on our achievements.

And corporate culture looooooves this.

It makes us believe that we're not worthy of happiness without the accolades, badges, or titles. In turn, we devote our lives to pushing harder for that next role, promotion, or project while ignoring what matters.

Your career is only one tiny piece of the puzzle.

You are made up of so many different parts: family, love, health, finances, and your career, to name a few. And you can succeed in every one of those areas if that's what you want.

Let me tell you a little story: In 2022, I had a fair few “success check marks" under my belt. I graduated from a top-tier university in Switzerland, landed multiple jobs in big tech, climbed the corporate ladder, moved countries twice, and led EMEA marketing for a tech unicorn.

But my anxiety? It skyrocketed.

Then, "out of nowhere," I quit that big tech job with no backup. I avoided the never-ending question of "What are you going to do next?" - trying to hide that I was so burnt out that I could barely hold a conversation, much less a job. For six months, I spent most of my day in tears on the couch, forced to deal with my anxiety because my brain and body felt like they were on fire.

I had chased the concept of success through at the expense of my mental health. The 70-hour work weeks, constant stress state, back-to-back meetings, excessive levels of caffeine, and using work to ignore every other ounce of stress happening in my personal life had finally caught up with me.

I realized that the success metrics I had internalized weren't mine—they were what society expected of me, and I took the bait. I had devoted myself to being "perfect," and I lost myself. Because I never took the time to sit back and think: what do I value, what do I want, and how can I get there?

There are a million paths to success.

If you've been told there's only one specific path, I can imagine the mental shift is something you might struggle with.

This is the episode you have to listen to if you want to learn how to create your own definition of success - one that aligns with your own goals, career path, and strengths - so that you can finally start to live life by your own rules.

Instead of thinking of success as an outward appearance, defining success is more about knowing what is most important to you.

Tune in to learn how to get there.

Thanks for reading! Don’t forget to follow along on socials to learn more about managing your mental health at work.

xoxo, Regan

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