I’ll know I’m successful when…

17 November 2024

I've been lucky enough to share some successes early in my career, and I very quickly realised that, as a human, we are always wanting more. I learnt that a great way to appreciate what you have is to create a "success list." Define what success means to you, so you'll know when you’ve reached it. Here's mine...

I choose the projects I work on, they excite me, and I deliver my best work
People seek my advice because they respect my opinion
I spend 70% of time on doing work I enjoy, only 30% on people dramas
I have the choice to gift myself 1–3 hours of ‘deep work’ every day
People I work with bring me positive energy, and it’s easy to remove people who don’t from my day-to-day
I can spend time with my kids in the day, and make up for it at night
Every day I can choose how to spend my down time, and not feel rushed or guilty for taking it
I wear whatever I want all the time
My office is where I choose to work that day, anywhere in the world
I’m earning money that saves for the future, rather than needing to spend the majority on the present
Every room inside the house is complete and all DIY projects are ‘upgrades’ or nice to haves
I have £1M in my pension

How might this list look for you?

When I found this advice, this was the example given. Slightly more ambitious that my first draft, but they say shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon…

I can wake up and ask what I want to do today
My passive income exceeds my lifestyle needs
I can live anywhere in the world I choose
I can disappear for several months with no effect on my income
I have no time obligations or deadlines
I can quit anytime