What If Success Isn’t About You at All?
How success and purpose relate
A few weeks ago, someone on Substack who had been following my work asked me a simple question: “What does success mean to you?”
I hadn’t really been asked that in a while. And honestly, it made me stop and think.
As I continue to learn, grow, and try to improve myself, my definition of success has definitely evolved. What success looked like to me growing up was drastically different from how I view it now.
Old Definitions vs. New Perspectives
The version of success I grew up around was often tied to status, money, or achievements. But today? It’s more internal. More relational. More about impact.
One of my past podcast guests once said that one of his favorite quotes was:
“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”
That quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson is such a good definition of what living a purpose filled life is all about.
Success Is About Others
One thing I’ve come to believe is this:
Our purpose in life is tied directly to others - to how we help them, how we serve, how we leave them better.
Even though our purpose may shift over time, that constant theme remains: our relationship and responsibility to those around us.
So, as I sit here and write this, I define success as:
How well I take care of my family
The quality of my relationships
Whether I’m actively pursuing my purpose
And since my purpose is tied to helping others, my success is measured by the impact I leave on others.
That’s why I write this newsletter.
That’s why I share these words.
Because someday, someone may read them - even long after I’m gone.
A Long-Term Vision
At the beginning of this year, I set a personal goal: Write a book.
My plan is to take these newsletters, restructure them, and turn them into something lasting. A collection of thoughts, lessons, and experiences. Something I can leave behind that might help someone else down the road.
Whether or not that directly relates to this post, I think it does - because success, to me, is about creating something meaningful. Something of value.
Questions for You
Have you ever sat down and truly thought about what success means to you?
Have you defined what it looks like?
Do you know your current purpose?
Are you still searching for it?
And if your definition of success isn’t directly tied to money - or fame - or material things… what is it tied to?
A Closing Thought
There’s a classic entrepreneurial quote that says:
“If you help enough people get what they want, you’ll get what you want.”
This can sound selfish, but it’s really not. Helping others often ends up helping us. That’s how purpose, meaning, and success are all connected.
When you pursue your purpose by helping others - you end up creating a life of value. And that, to me, is what success really is.
Issac, great post. It has been my mission for the past 25+ years to help people. Help can be take different paths. I help those that are seeking employment. I help through resume construction and reviews, interview preparation, networking and so on. It’s been rewarding. I expect nothing in return. I do it because I want to. I do it because I want to give back.