Defining Success

I am sure there are loads of blog posts out there all revolving around the topic of success: what it is, how to achieve it, how to celebrate it once you've gotten it...And I have even seen many a post on how it might look different from person to person.

I just wanted to add my own thoughts into the mix, because they have been swirling around in my mind for quite a while.

I view success as a concept that evolves with each individual person who is reaching for it. It's not a stagnant thing, and it does vary from person to person. My version of success is going to be very different from your's or your best friend's or your cousin's or our neighbor's.

And that's OK.

People don't remain rigid. We are constantly evolving and growing and changing. I think that is what makes people so interesting and why we might enjoy knowing different people of all different backgrounds.

So, it's important to realize that when you set out to define what success might mean to you, you keep in mind that there is opportunity for that definition to change and expand over time. And it's equally important that you don't compare what you view as "achieving success" to another person's definition of the same thing.

I cannot define success for you or anyone else, but I can define it for myself. I wanted to share what I currently view as the epitome of success for my life as it stands right now. I don't do this so that you feel as if your version of success needs to be similar. I am hoping that by defining what success is to me, it gives you a deeper glimpse into who I am, where my values lie, and where I intend to have Untitled Thoughts go in the future. And perhaps it will inspire you to shed any preconceived notions people have told you about success so that you can begin defining the word for yourself, on your own terms.

For me, success in my life looks like this:

Most days, I would be able to work from home in a natural flow. I could jump from pattern project to garden project to cooking dinner to spending time with my family without worrying about how much time I am spending in any category, because time is not a factor. I would work at a pace I felt comfortable with and on projects that filled me with excitement and passion.

 

I would have time to spend with my family and friends outside of work without having to check my phone constantly or respond to emails immediately. I'd only need to work on projects that felt right and not have to take on work that fills me with dread or resentment or anxiety. That way, I would have time for my number one passion: building a permaculture garden/ homestead/ lifestyle.

As you can see, success in my eyes is leading a low-stress life at a pace I feel comfortable with. I love pattern making and I find a lot of joy in the job that I do, but I always try to remind myself that my biggest goal in life isn't to have the largest patterning brand. I am not trying to be the next Closet Case Patterns or True Bias or any other big name indie pattern brand you can recall.

I don't want to make millions of dollars or have the most followers on IG or the most likes per post (though, don't get me wrong, I have my down days where I feel low for where my social media is at- I think we all do!)

That isn't what success looks like for me.
I want my patterning brand to bring value to sewists lives, even if that is only a handful of people.

I want to be able to support myself financially without having to take on jobs that I dislike. Which is something I did a lot more of in the past.

I want to spend the majority of time surrounded by the people I love, making memories with them. Laughing in each others company, eating meals prepared in love, and fully present.

Sometimes, it can be difficult to remember what success means to me. It's easy to get wrapped up in comparisons of other people's versions of success and where they are at in their lives. But when I feel myself getting off track, I try to come back to what it is I want from life. I sit with my feelings of envy or jealousy or doubt and I try to view them for what they are: a passing tide. Then I remind myself of what makes me happy and what it is I want.

And I fall back into traveling down my own path.

 

 

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