A New Way to Measure Success
- Jun 29
- 4 min read
It's a fresh new week full of possibilities and opportunities! I hope you take every chance you get this week to grow, excel and step a little closer to your wholeness!
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how we measure our lives...and what I have found, true success, I feel, is measured in personal fulfillment and connection. It's measured in our ability to lives our lives from true alignment, and how well we uphold that alignment when life gets hard or feels unclear- this is when strength through devotion truly serves us!
And while there is nothing inherently wrong with ambition or pursuing meaningful goals, I’ve started to wonder if we’ve quietly mistaken accomplishment for fulfillment.
What if we’ve been measuring the wrong things all along?
As I’ve grown older, traveled to different corners of the world, and spent more quiet mornings with my journal and a cup of coffee or at my altar, I’ve realized that the moments that have changed me and shaped me the most never appeared on a résumé.
They couldn’t be measured. The experiences I've had and value that I embody comes from my personal nature... what i'm aligned to internally.
They were found in conversations that lingered long after the coffee had gone cold.
In walking unfamiliar streets with no destination, and witnessing unplanned magic.
In the stillness of prayer before the rest of the world had awakened.
In watching the sun tuck itself to bed beneath the horizon and realizing that for a few precious minutes, absolutely nothing else mattered.
I’ve come to understand that life isn’t asking us to collect more accomplishments.
It’s simply asking us to become more present. But not just present in the now moment, but to open our eyes deeply to what we're present to as well.
Because presence is where connection begins.
So we must look deeper, and ask ourselves if we're present to our values, our devotions and the things that truly lift our spirit up.
We all know what we love and what brings us joy...but are we present to it day to day or are we trapped in the hustle and grind mentality?
True success comes from fulfillment and fulfillment is the effect of connection. Connection only happens in presence.
It’s where we notice the people sitting across from us instead of reaching for our phones.
It’s where we completely let go and laughter becomes medicine.
It’s where gratitude quietly replaces striving.
It’s where we remember that our lives are happening now...not someday, when everything finally falls into place... it'll only fall into place after you've aligned yourself for it to.
Maybe success isn’t found in how full our calendars become.
Maybe it’s found in how full our hearts become.
Perhaps success is measured by…
The conversations that make you forget to look at the time.
The courage to choose peace over proving yourself.
The sunsets you actually stop to watch.
The mornings you begin with intention instead of urgency.
The people who leave your presence feeling seen.
The quiet confidence that comes from knowing who you are.
The moments when your soul feels spacious instead of rushed.
I don’t think fulfillment comes from having more.
I think it comes from how much we can notice and where we feel most alive.
More wonder.
More gratitude.
More meaningful conversations.
More curiosity.
More presence.
More connection-with God, with ourselves, with one another, and with the beautiful world we’ve been invited to explore.
The irony is that when we stop chasing life so desperately, we often begin to experience it more deeply...and something begins to unfold in that space.
I’ve met people in tiny villages who owned very little, yet radiated a peace that many wealthy people spend their entire lives searching for.
I’ve learned that a simple meal shared around a table can nourish something far deeper than hunger.
I’ve discovered that slowing down isn’t falling behind.
Sometimes it’s finally catching up to your own life.
And perhaps that’s what living a spirited life really means.
Not living perfectly.
Not living impressively.
But living awake.
Paying attention.
Choosing presence over performance.
Connection over comparison.
Wonder over worry.
Because at the end of our lives, I don’t believe we’ll remember how many emails we answered, how many followers we had, or how busy we kept ourselves.
I think we’ll remember the people we loved and the way they made us feel.
The places that changed us.
The prayers that carried us.
The quiet mornings.
The deep conversations.
The laughter.
The sunsets and sunrises. I know these are moments I revisit often and I' so grateful I had those experiences.
The moments when we were fully, beautifully alive.
Perhaps that is the truest measure of success.
And perhaps that’s the kind of life worth building.
Before you go…
I’d love to hear from you.
What does success look like to you today?
Has your definition changed over the years?
Leave a comment below. I read every one, and some of my favorite Journal conversations begin there.
Because we don’t need more noise.
Continue the Journey
If this reflection spoke to something in your heart, I’d love to stay connected.
Subscribe to my weekly newsletter for thoughtful essays, journal prompts, travel reflections, wellness inspiration, and gentle reminders to live with more presence and intention.
Looking for a deeper practice?
The Spirited Membership is where we take these ideas beyond inspiration and begin living them. Together we explore spiritual growth, slow living, wellness, meaningful travel, and intentional practices that help you become more present to your own life.
We need more reminders of what truly matters.
If you’re longing for a life that feels less rushed and more rooted…
I’d love to welcome you.
After all, the goal was never simply to succeed.
It was always to become…
Unafraid to Be Alive.
Journal Prompt
If no one else were keeping score, how would you measure the success of your life? What moments in your life have made you feel the most alive and what do they have in common?
(Link to one of my favorite journals: https://amzn.to/4wkWUJC )
Sending you so much love!
Have a lovely week!
Comments