A new definition of success

Hi there,

I’ll be real with you: my calendar bullied the sh*t out of me while I was building Health-Ade.

After-work plans with friends? Not when I have a million things I had to do.
Once a month date night with my husband? Nope. Triple booked. Maybe next month. Damn, we should have put that in the calendar earlier so time doesn’t get away from us.

It got to the point that every week I felt my free time and sense of self slipping away.

Which is why when we sold and I left the business, it caused me to reevaluate my measure of success to become something ridiculously simple and reject this calendar thing that ruled my life:

I’ll know I’ve made it when I don’t even have to look at iCal.
When I have the privilege of forgetting what time it is.
When the only answer to “what time?” is here and now…
Or not at all.

…Well, no, actually. Waaaay wrong.

I still like, live.

In this very real, super demanding world with schedules and appointments.

And even though I’ve technically “made it” and am in the exited founder lifestyle, I’ve realized that throwing the calendar out of the window is not realistic at all…

…especially when you have kid’s playdates to remember, vacations to plan for, and basically all of life.

Maybe being completely unaccountable to time isn’t a gauge for success at all.

But maybe, it’s more like this quote by Maya Angelou I read while mindlessly scrolling few weeks ago:

"Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it." 

Because for me, the work has to make me excited and make me perk up enough to say:

Let's f*cking get after it.

But after that and when all is said and done, I’d like to be stoked to come home to a life and space that make me feel whole. I would be lit up knowing what I was doing had impact!

If that's not happening, I don't think I'm feeling good or successful.

Can you say you have thrilling work and an amazing home sanctuary? Not everyone can just jump ship and start a new thrilling thing. BUT dare I challenge you and say, can you carve out the time to see a bestie for lunch? Can you make the time to make your kids baseball game? Can you do breathwork for 5 minutes at lunchtime if it that gets you back to center?

Spaces you feel good about at work and time spent with loved ones?

A great life that you’ve built for yourself, whether with family, partners, or community?

Those are valuable. Those feel like the better markers of success to me and whatever I’m venturing into now or in the future.

And now I want to know: what are yours? Hit reply to this email and share your definition of success with me—I’d love to hear it.

Wishing you every success,
Vanessa