Redefining Success Beyond the Grind

What does success mean to you? It's a question we should all be asking ourselves. So many of us equate success with money, with a big house, a nice car, and other material things. We're told to chase money because we believe it will bring us happiness. But we challenge that idea, because if you think about it, chasing money is kind of a distraction.

For us, success comes down to three things: peace, time, and relationships. These are the intangible things that make you truly wealthy, while being "rich" is just about having money. We’re not saying that making money is a bad thing, it does a lot of great things for you. But there is a cost to everything, and it's important to find the right balance. What is it worth to work 24/7 if your family doesn’t even know who you are or your relationships are bankrupt?

True wealth is the freedom to be in control of your own life and destiny, without being beholden to just money. We know people who have all the money, but their business runs them. They're an employee in their own business, and they can't even take a vacation. They have the money, but they don't have the freedom.

I talked about how I could never have $100 billion. Not because I couldn't earn it, but because before I get to that point, I would do something else with the money, like build schools or help other people. For me, success is being able to do whatever I want and help others grow, because that brings me joy. If I get to a billion, I wouldn’t even keep pursuing more, because I could give away millions to help others and still have more than enough.

Another thing to consider is whether you are living your own definition of success or someone else's. Social media, family, and the pressure to keep up with the Joneses often shape our goals. We call it ambition, but it's often just living somebody else’s dream. At the end of the day, when you look back on your life, it’s not going to be about the cars you drove or the pizza you ate. It will be about the relationships you built and the people you impacted.

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be ambitious. Our version of success is an evolving definition. If you're currently in survival mode, success might be as simple as saving enough to have a three-to-six-month cushion. Those are your milestones, and you have to congratulate yourself for them. A lot of people are in this position; in the US, a lot of people live paycheck to paycheck. You are not alone.

Once you’re out of survival mode, the focus can shift from income to impact. The impact you can make on people's lives is a better currency than income. There’s no better feeling than hearing that your work, which didn’t cost you anything, helped someone else find a co-founder, a customer, or even an investor. It’s about doing good work, not to get something back, but because it feels good.

Kobe Bryant once said that everyone who knew him knew he wasn't available because he was chasing his dream. He had a time frame for that obsession, and when he was done, he said he would obsess on his daughters. The lesson here is that if you are trading hours for dollars or time with people for a goal, you have to be intentional about it and remember that at some point, you have to pay up or you’ll lose those relationships. Just make sure it's not too late.

Ultimately, true success is about building a life that feels wealthy from the inside out. It's about finding peace, nurturing your relationships, and controlling your time.

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