It seems that today to be considered a successful professional or businesswoman you have to be in continuous growth, reaping achievements, reaching the highest positions or expanding. If you stay as you are and stop growing, you have stagnated and are failing in some way.
It is a stereotype or belief deeply rooted in society, right? It seems that if you do not follow that path and you do not have more and more responsibility, more salary and less time for yourself, then you are not really good, you are not a successful professional or businesswoman.
This may be true for you and so I encourage you to keep growing and challenging yourself, but there are also cases of people who once at the top of their profession realize that it is not what they really wanted and leave it all to dedicate to something calmer. Or people who think they are comfortable as they are and do not want to continue growing, but who doubt whether this is not because they are giving up or are not very ambitious. Do you identify with any of these cases?
I certainly do. When I started working in a laboratory my dream was the Nobel Prize (typical of course), but after a year working too much I decided that maybe I preferred not to be a Nobel Prize winner and to have more free time for my things. As a coach I also know cases of other tremendously successful coaches who do not stop doing things, and I find it admirable but I have realized that I do not want that; I don't want to spend my life from city to city giving talks, to give an example.
For a time I thought that maybe I was sabotaging myself, that it would be insecurity or fear, but recently reading the book "Living without a boss" by Sergio Fernández (highly recommended by the way) in which he spoke of the supposed need to grow professionally I continually realized that it is not self-sabotage, it is just what I want, the lifestyle I want and that when I reach a certain point I will not be interested in growing more (at least today) because I am more than satisfied with the time I have for myself and my family. Does that mean that I will never be considered a successful professional?
Regardless of the idea of a successful professional that exists today there are two things that are said little and are essential:
1. The word "success" does not have the same meaning for everyone, and it is imperative that you decide what it means to you, how far you want to go. Because it is absurd to base your life on the definitions and beliefs of others and dedicate yourself to accumulating achievements and then realize that you are overwhelmed, stressed and tremendously dissatisfied with your situation.
2. It is not necessary to reach the top or continually grow to feel good or a successful person. This does not mean that you use this as an excuse to stay as you are and not move forward, far from it, simply that you consider how far you have to grow to feel full and satisfied.
So repeating the previous question, does that mean that I will never be considered a successful professional? Absolutely yes for me because I will make sure I lead the life I want and how I want, there is no greater success than that, at least for me.
And for you?
