Entrepreneurial journey: Embrace the Power of Self-Defined Success 🔥
Embrace the shift in societal perceptions surrounding success? It's evident that instead of solely focusing on financial gains and professional titles, professionals are now placing importance on aspects like location freedom and fulfilling work. This mindset shift is triggering a profound transformation in corporate America.
Take Elissa Kelly, for example – a Solopreneur Business Coach. She's no stranger to the corporate world, having spent two decades juggling prestigious titles and significant salaries. However, holding such a traditional view of success left her feeling disenchanted. Her first executive coach was instrumental in helping her redefine success, focusing on factors like enjoying her work and personal fulfillment.
Ditching My Outdated Success Blueprint
For decades, I was seized by the belief that titles and wealth served as the ultimate indicators of success. My highest ambition was to ascend to the CEO chair of a Fortune 500 company. I saw my job as merely a means to an end, one that would garner me more recognition and higher earnings.
I was so wedded to this notion that I equated success with job security, too. Consequently, I let fear dictate many of my career decisions. I enacted budget cuts that contradicted my values, I stayed with companies longer than necessary out of obligation, and I missed multiple opportunities for growth and fulfillment because I was too enslaved by my perception of what success ought to look like.
Enter my executive coach. At the time, I sought their guidance to get the next big career break. What I didn't anticipate was the introspection and reevaluation my coach would inspire. Through our collaboration, I realized that people are more than just their careers. We are complex, multidimensional beings, and there's a world beyond the corporate fog. I learned that no matter how high I climbed the corporate ladder, I couldn't find the happiness and fulfillment I craved.
Redefining My Personal Success
After twenty years as a key player in the insurance industry, I finally discovered what brought me the most joy at work: helping people find new career enlightenment. I decided to leave the safety and predictability of my corporate job to embark on a new journey as an entrepreneur. I gave myself a full year to prepare, using the time to earn my coaching credentials. When the year was up, I took a leap of faith and dedicated myself to transitioning from the corporate world to running my own coaching business.
A successful entrepreneur recognizes that balance and accountability are crucial. One of those essential components for me was detaching my self-worth from my earnings. I knew that securing a livable income was essential. But I also understood that it couldn't be everything. Over time, I adapted my financial perspective in the following ways:
• Year 1: My sole focus wasn't on revenue. I chose to live without fixating on my earnings, seeking opportunities to grow instead.• Year 2: I had managed to generate six-figure income in my first year, so I set a financial goal of doubling my revenue. However, I ensured that it wasn't my sole objective.• Year 3: My business thrived, surpassing my financial forecasts. But I also paid close attention to the work that brought me joy. I examined how I could channel those activities into my business model, ensuring that my clients and income streams aligned.
By the time I reached my fourth year, I realized that continuously reassessing and pivoting were vital pillars of my entrepreneurial journey.
Tips to Reframe Your Success Definition
Transforming your perception of success is a step-by-step process. Adopt these strategies to improve your entrepreneurial journey.
• Weekly Success Inventory: Keep track of your victories big and small every week. This practice helps you remember what you've accomplished and how far you've come.• Support System Revamp: Regularly evaluate your network. Ensure you have the right mentors, peers, and trusted partners who support your growth and help you make informed decisions.• Continuous Learning: Keep your finger on the pulse of your industry. Refresh your knowledge by attending workshops, reading books, and taking part in networking events. This proactive approach allows you to identify new opportunities and stay ahead of the curve.
Swap out your outdated notions of success. Instead of viewing it as a destination, treat it as a living, breathing journey that evolves with you. Ignite your ambition by focusing on personal growth and creating a harmonious balance between professional success and personal fulfillment.
In her transition from the corporate world to entrepreneurship, Elissa Kelly, the Solopreneur Business Coach, drew inspiration from her executive coach, who helped her redefine success beyond financial gains and professional titles. With her coaching business, Elissa now prioritizes her clients' and her own fulfillment, embodying the shift in societal perceptions that values location freedom and enjoying one's work over traditional success indicators.
After realizing the limitations of her outdated success blueprint, Elissa Kelly reframed her personal success to include balance and accountability, focusing on income, but not making it her sole objective. She identified her passion for helping people find career enlightenment and pivoted her career, earning her coaching credentials and eventually leaving the corporate world for entrepreneurship.
