and what it means for introverts
This weekly newsletter is about helping you strive for the success you dream of. Quietly as an introvert. But what does success actually mean to you and introverts in general?
That’s what we’re gonna talk and think about. Have some time and paper ready to figure out what your vision of success is.
Society, reality TV, and social media want us to believe that success is about:
- fancy cars
- traveling by private jet
- being surrounded by beautiful people
- having an office with a view in your own company
And we believe it. But what we don’t see is what those rich people usually lack:
- meaningful connections
- quietness
- no purposeful job
- trust in other people
So let’s think about what success means to you and introverts.
What success means to introverts
It’s not about being famous or having a fancy car. We don’t want to be in the spotlight and surrounded by superficial friends.
We want peace, calmness, no drama, and meaningful work. We want people in our lives who love us and with whom we can talk about anything. Being an extrovert around them.
Introverts are usually creative and good at focusing on problem-solving, skills that can help you succeed when you have the right environment and take care of yourself, too.
Why does society think only extroverts can be successful?
I attended a workshop on starting a business in Austria, and at the end, they asked, “Do you think introverts or extroverts are more successful as entrepreneurs?” And I was shocked to see that the majority of the audience and speaker said extroverts. Why? Because they think networking is a really important part, and only extroverts are good at it.
This is a big misconception ingrained in our society. Networking is a skill, like anything else, and can be learned. And it’s not the only thing that makes a business successful.
I don’t think that any entrepreneur has ever succeeded by just attending networking events 100%. It also takes:
- deep work on your business strategies
- accounting
- creativity to come up with new products, marketing strategies…
- strong, lasting connections with customers
What does success mean to you?
I’ve been reading about success and personal development and working on myself for more than a decade now, and the most important lesson I learned: the definition of success is different for everyone.
There’s no standardized success path that fits everyone, even though society and school say so:
- be good at school
- get into a good university
- get a degree in a field that pays well
- get a job at a big and important company
- make a lot of money in a steady job
- start a family
- build a house
This is the standardized path our parents and teachers tell us to follow, and they followed it in the past. But the world has changed and you have the chance to do whatever you want to do in your life.
You are the architect in your life.
And thanks to the internet, you can connect with people outside your local bubble, and you have unlimited opportunities to create your own path.
So let’s get into figuring out what you want to do. It sounds like a big defining question, but your meaning of success can change with you.
My definition of success started with the goals society told me: get a well-paying job after studying. And I did.
Did it make me happy? Nope.
I realized really fast that money doesn’t make me happy or successful. For months, I thought about what I want to do with my life and what success means to me.
Take a moment and think (and write down) what success means to you. Independent of what society wants you to do.
If you feel like you can’t specify it, start by visualizing your dream day.
- What are you doing on your dream Tuesday?
- Do you spend time with loved ones?
- What do you want to work on?
- Where are you living and working?
- Do you have money and time freedom?
That’s a good start when you figured that out. Now let’s continue with the anti-vision.
- What do you hate about your current daily life?
- What do you want to change immediately if you have the time and money?
- What does an unsuccessful person look like?
- What’s the worst-case scenario for you?
- What do you definitely not want to do on your dream day?
The answers to these questions help you now to define what success means to you. I want you to write it down, remember it daily by visualizing or reading, and take action to make it a reality.
If you want to commit, then write it down below or reply to this email.
And while we’re all honest with ourselves, I’m sharing my definition of success. But please don’t let it influence your definition. It’s unique for each person, and I don’t want you to copy the next predefined definition like we all did from society.
What success means to me:
- having time and money freedom to choose what I want to work on, with whom I spend time with and where I live
- have time for my family whenever I want to and when they need me
- have time to grow daily
- work on meaningful projects to help people improve online like courses, guides and speaking on stages
- work on meaningful and sustainable architecture projects to shape the future with my friends in our own business
- be in a healthy and loving relationship
- be a good mother (to my future kids) and do it all for the future generations
- have a circle of supporting friends growing together
- take care of myself and be healthy, fit, and strong physically and mentally
- live in a sustainable house by the water, which is calm, minimalistic, and my home base to relax
- have staff taking care of household chores I don’t want to do to have more time freedom
- have the money to live debt-free; I can afford everything I dream of and have more to help people in need and make it a better world
What’s your definition of success?
Less Stress. More Time. Less Overwhelmed!
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