Success vs. Fulfillment: Inspirational Insights to Align Your Life with Your Personal Growth Goals

And maybe you started to ask, what's wrong with me?

Why am I not happy?

I finally achieved this goal.

Well, did you know that you're not alone?

Because studies have proven time after time that the high achievers in the world, even with all of their success, they feel empty.

And I've been left to wonder, so what's missing?

What have we not been putting into the puzzle?

What piece are we lacking?

And that is exactly what we're going to explore inside of today's episode.

So, my friend, if you're intrigued, if you're curious, well, you're exactly where you're meant to be.

So, with that, I welcome you.

It's episode 369.

Hey, I'm your host, Kevin Malowe, and you are listening to Great Grace and Inspiration.

If I think back to some of my earliest memories, what were we all led to believe?

Is that the goal was achieving success.

Think back to when we were little kids.

It was ingrained in us to get good grades.

We all had to achieve an A on the report card.

And as we grow older, we understand that society, they view success as money in the bank, high status in society.

Maybe it's a fancy car in the driveway, or it's achievements, it's trophies on the wall, things recognizing your level of success in life.

But here's the problem: success is great, but without fulfillment, what's any of it worth?

There are countless stories of people who were at the top of their game.

I'm talking about athletes, celebrities, executives, people who had it all.

And even at the peak of their career, when you looking at them, you think, man, they got it all.

I would love to have their life.

And yet, behind closed doors, they're struggling.

They hate their life.

They hate who they are.

And so I guess you're left to wonder, but why?

How could somebody who has all the money in the world, they have the fame, they have the fortune, how can they not be happy?

How could they not be fulfilled?

Well, it's because of a simple truth.

Success is external, where fulfillment is internal.

So what I'm saying is that you can actually have fulfillment without ever reaching, quote, success.

Because, well, if we're going to talk about success, I believe success is different for all of us.

If we're basing it on what society has told us success is, well, I can't help but believe we're headed down the wrong path in life.

Because I think success needs to be specific to each one of us individually.

Now, as we continue, I'm gonna speak to this as the success fulfillment gap.

And the important part here is how to fill that gap, to how to balance success and fulfillment.

What is the bridge that's gonna connect the two to one another?

Because if we go through life continuing to believe that achieving success will lead to fulfillment, we will continue to come up short each and every time.

The space in between what we've achieved and what actually truly matters to us is what I'm calling the gap.

How do we fill the gap is the question I pose to you.

What do we have to do in your life to make success equal fulfillment?

How can we tie the two together?

Some of the questions that I want to ask you to be sure that we're on the same page, because I don't know, this idea I'm talking to you about, I'm no expert in it.

I'm just talking it out.

It's something that came up through the interviews I've done, the topics I've been talking about of happiness and success and fulfillment, is this gap in between.

And so I guess I ask you, if you've been chasing success, why have you?

Have you been chasing success because you were led to believe that's what you're supposed to do?

Do you even know what success looks like to you, feels like to you?

Because if you don't already know what success means for you, well then you really don't know where you're going.

Because if we don't have a clear destination, how are we ever going to know when we get there?

We get so wrapped up in chasing what we think success is.

As I said earlier, it's lots of money in the bank, it's fancy cars in the driveway, it's expensive clothes, nice jewelry, all the things.

And yeah, all of those are great to have, but that's not what everybody wants.

We're not all the same people.

And so, therefore, success should not be the same for all of us.

So I guess this leads me into a question of if success does not lead to fulfillment, then what does?

Well, maybe we can start by redefining success in a way that can lead to fulfillment.

Yeah, again, we got to ditch what we think of when we think of success, and we have to make it personal.

Make it mean something to you.

I want you to get clear on the definition of success.

Does it align with your values?

Does it match who you are?

Does it align with the person you want to become?

When you define what it means, which as an example, for myself, success is summarized in one word, and that is freedom.

Freedom from financial worries, freedom from being held back, not being able to do what I want to do because of limitations, whether physically, financially, emotionally, even.

Success for me is freedom.

So once we can get clear on what success is for us, once you can get clear what success is for you, well, now we have something to aim for.

Now, if we know where we're going, how are we going to measure it to know when we're there?

Well, again, society has external factors measuring success.

You know, the things like income, accolades, promotions, awards on the bookshelf.

Instead, what if we start to measure success based on how you feel inside?

I'm talking about things like joy, fulfillment.

When you wake up in the morning, you're smiling, you're not stressed out, you're excited.

Yeah, excitement.

That is one of the things that I feel we are all lacking, and I feel like we should all strive for is to have excitement in our life.

We should be excited about what we get to do today, each and every day.

That, my friend, is a clear indication that maybe you're already achieving success.

Just because you woke up today excited about the day.

Again, success doesn't have to look like what we all have been led to believe it is.

I believe most importantly, it's these internal feelings.

I also want you to sit back and think.

If you have a goal that you're chasing, if you are looking to get somewhere in your life, and that means that you've been successful, well, I want you to be sure, real quick, that it aligns with who you are, that it aligns with your morals, that it goes back to your deeper purpose, that it serves you beyond just these external factors.

Money in the bank is awesome.

A big trophy is cool, but what is it worth if you feel empty inside?

I want you to be lit up on the inside even more so than on the outside.

So, my friend, to wrap up today's episode, I want to remind you happiness is about having joy in the moment.

Fulfillment, it's about deep long-term satisfaction.

And, well, this idea of success, I believe it needs to be redefined so that it aligns with long-term fulfillment.

The key here is to not just achieve more, but to start achieving what truly matters.

Not to the rest of the world, but to you, you alone.

So I leave you with this question: are you chasing a life of success?

Or are you chasing a life of fulfillment?

Which one matters more to you?

Success on the outside or fulfillment on the inside?

Only you know the answer to that question.

I just hope that you take the time to get real, to dig deep, and uncover what truly matters to you today and for the rest of your life.

My friend, we only get one chance at this life.

So why not make it count?

And be sure that we're not wasting a single moment chasing the wrong goals, chasing after success when, in fact, we're not fulfilled.

We're lacking relationships with our loved ones.

We're lacking time spent with them because we've been chasing this other goal, trying to achieve success.

My friend, so many times, fulfillment, it's the basics.

It's the people we do life with.

It's having experiences.

It's just having a life that you love, that you're excited about, that doesn't stress you out, that doesn't get you anxious or worried.

No, it leaves you excited.

And at the end of the day, just as at the beginning, I hope that you smile.

Smile even just on the inside, that, hey, you know what?

Today was a good day.

Until next time, I'm your host, Kevin Lowe, and I hope today's episode maybe has you thinking about your own life in a little bit different light.

Until next time, this is Great Grace and Inspiration.

My friend, get out there and enjoy this day.

Start chasing what really matters.

And that, I believe, is fulfillment versus just thinking.