My business is called Soul Driven Success, so, obviously, success is something that matters to me. I am a person who is goal-driven, so aiming for a dream or something I want always brings me joy.
Adding “Soul” as the driver of my desire for success was a shift I made a couple of decades ago when I discovered that I had a lot of success that wasn’t making me happy.
In my conversation with Manoj Ramanan Viswanathan on my podcast last week, I was made aware of something new in the arena of success.
There are times when life throws us for a loop. Unsought painful experiences arrive. These can be opportunities to do some soul searching to find new meaning when all seems lost.
Has that ever happened to you? You are on a roll and then BAM! Something happens that brings you to your knees.
What I have learned from this type of experience – and what Manoj reminded me of — was how important it is to feel all the feelings all the way through.
In Manoj’s culture, expressing emotions wasn’t encouraged. He had the courage to experience his emotions anyway.
I also have been taught to not focus on my feelings.
Yet it is when I DO experience my true emotions, and allow myself to feel and move through the hard ones, that new insights are born.
As I said, success is something important to me, and I have had a false idea that success means that I achieve the goals I aim for.
I learned how false this thinking was recently when I came down with the stomach flu on the day I was to lead a workshop.
My workshop looked like a success. Over 30 coaches had signed up to attend. Many had reached out to me, letting me know they were looking forward to it. I had spent time preparing and anticipating the event and all the future success it might lead to.
The Stomach Flu does not lend itself to live workshops!
I had to cancel that workshop, and even though I rescheduled, the success in terms of numbers and growth in my business was not at all what I would normally call a “success.”
What I learned was something Manoj alluded to.
When I really took time to assess what success meant to me, I realized that what mattered most to me was twofold.
- How I show up. Do I show up fully and bring my best self forward for the sake of others? If I do that, it will be a success.
- Does what I offer have a positive impact on someone? I found that even if just one person is impacted, then that is true success for me.
Redefining success has helped me to focus more on output than outcome. More on impact than perfection.
What is your definition of success?
This might be a great time to do some soul searching to find the deeper meaning for you and what you are creating in the world.
Ep.3: Manoj Ramanan Viswanathan – Strategies for Authentic Impact
Join Kat and Manoj as they delve into the heart and strategy of coaching — tackling the role of vulnerability, self-awareness, impact and more as you grow your coaching business authentically.
