What does success look like for you?
Not the three, five, ten year version. Not even the quarterly targets. I mean today. Right now. In the small moments of your day.
Too often we’re caught up in somebody else’s definition of what success, or what great, looks like.
As business owners and leaders, we need to pause and ask: is this what I believe, or is this what I’ve been told?
Here’s what I see constantly in coaching sessions, in conversations with business owners, sales managers, and leaders. People are running a daily, weekly, monthly rhythm based on what they think they should be doing, instead of what will actually get them the best results.
The 5am Club Isn’t the Answer for Everyone
Take the 5am Club. It’s had a huge moment. Get up before dawn, smash out your rituals before 6am, and apparently that’s what success looks like.
I’m not part of it. I’ve tried. But personally, I’m just not wired that way. Yes I have morning rituals that bring out my best self, they just don’t start at 5am.
That’s my point. It might be brilliant for some people. But it can also genuinely work against others. And we rarely stop to question – is this right for me?
It’s the same with working hours, team size, revenue targets, how much client detail you personally need to be across.
Somewhere along the way, we absorb a version of success that was never really ours to begin with.
The Number That Should Give You Pause
Here’s a stat worth sitting with. Only 43% of business owners take four weeks of annual leave a year.
My honest take on this, is that if you’re only taking one or two weeks off, you don’t really have a business by design. It sounds more like a day job. Especially if you’re one of the 77% of people who still checks in with work when you’re on leave.
Subconsciously (or even consciously) if your current definition of success doesn’t include real, proper rest, that’s worth putting under the microscope too.
An Exercise Straight From ‘Healthy Hustle’: Outrageous Opposites
This is one of my favourite exercises from the book, and I want to walk you through it here.
Step one
On the left-hand side of a page, write down your current definition of success. No judgement, no filtering. Just write what comes up, whether it’s true for you right now or a belief you’re carrying without ever questioning it. The 5am Club and the leave stats above are two easy examples, but keep going.
Some other prompts to get you started:
- A certain start time (7.30am, 8am)
- A team size (maybe it’s 100 people, even if you have five)
- Working long hours or after hours
- A revenue number
- Being across every client and every detail personally
- A bricks and mortar office
Step two
On the right-hand side, write the outrageous opposite of each one. This is where you get playful. Grab the metaphorical magic wand and park the self-doubt, the “but that could never work” voice. Just ask: what else could be true?
If 5am Club is on your list, the opposite might be sleeping until 8am. If it’s starting at 7.30am, the opposite might be 10am. If it’s a team of 100, the opposite might be a smaller, more efficient team. There might be some things on the left hand side list that you want to keep. That’s okay. The point of this exercise is to question and critically think about how your existing definitions are or aren’t working for you. Again, take this lightly.
Because true success is when there’s commercial results and human sustainability, for everyone in the business. Including you.
What to Do With Your Two Lists
Once you’ve got your current reality and your outrageous opposite mapped out, pick one thing. The one that would make the biggest impact for you, your family, and your team.
Then ask a question. Not “why won’t this work,” but “how could this work.” Write this question down.
We’re being given hundreds of opinions on what success looks like every single day just from scrolling social media. No wonder it’s easy to get lost in the noise.
This is your opportunity to quieten it.
To define success on your own terms, not just in terms of targets, commissions and big picture goals… but also holistically. The macro and the micro. How you show up. How you feel at the end of the day, the week, the month.
Why This Matters Beyond the Exercise Itself
If success is coming at the cost of you, the leader or business owner, even while your team and business thrive, that’s not holistic success. And it’s not sustainable.
There’s also a flow-on effect. If you tell your team it’s okay to take holidays, to switch off, to have a proper lunch break, but you don’t do those things yourself, you’re sending a double message. As leaders, we have to walk the talk.
Again, Take Yourself Lightly With This
This isn’t about getting it perfect. Look at it as an experiment, a game. So park the pressure, grab your two lists, and get curious about what could shift.
If you try the Outrageous Opposites exercise, I’d love to hear what came up for you. Send me a message on LinkedIn or drop me an email.
Listen to the full Smart Business Growth podcast episode that inspired this article here:
🎤 Listen on Spotify Podcast
📺 Watch on my new YouTube channel