You’re Not Broken. Your Definition of Success Might Be

You’ve worked hard. Achieved the goals. Hit the milestones.
So why does success still feel like a grind? 

If working harder was the answer, you’d already feel fulfilled. But for many high-achieving business owners and professionals, the pressure to perform only gets heavier. More hours. More responsibility. More expectations. And still, something feels off. 

As a human performance expert and executive mindset coach, I specialise in 1:1 performance coaching for business owners and senior professionals. I see this all the time. Brilliant, capable people chasing an outdated version of success. The kind they were taught to want. But here’s the truth: 

Maybe it’s not about doing more.
Maybe it’s about redefining success entirely. 

When Success Becomes a Cage 

A few weeks ago, one of my coaching clients summed it up perfectly: 

“I came to you for business coaching to be more successful in my career. It’s definitely done that. But it’s also evolved into something much more personal. Almost like therapy. Except… I’ve worked with a few therapists before and never got this much value.” Read more about Rosie’s story here  

She’s not alone. I work with senior executives, founders, and professionals in high-stakes environments. The type who don’t just want to succeed. They want to lead well. Build something meaningful. Make an impact. 

But underneath all that ambition is often a definition of success that’s quietly working against them. 

Success, in its traditional form, becomes a trap. 

Because if you define success only by your next win, title, or revenue milestone, then you’ll always feel behind. It’s a treadmill. Not a destination. 

You end up overdelivering but still feeling unfulfilled. You keep pushing forward but second-guess every decision. You do more but feel less like yourself. 

It’s not that you’re doing it wrong. It’s that the definition you’re working from is incomplete. 

From Frazzled to Focused: Redefining What Success Looks Like 

In the coaching work I do, we start by looking beyond the external markers. The KPIs, titles, and LinkedIn highlights. Instead, we ask a different set of questions: 

• What do you want to be known for? 

• What’s the impact that matters most to you? 

• Where are you compromising your values for someone else’s version of success? 

For high-achieving professionals, whether they’re senior executives, small business owners, or ambitious founders, these questions cut through the noise. 

They help reveal the real gap. Not between you and the next goal, but between who you are and who you want to be. 

Many clients come to me saying things like: 

• “I didn’t know what was holding me back.” 

• “I felt like I was spinning plates but going nowhere.” 

• “I didn’t need more hours in the day. I needed clarity.” 

They often think they need productivity hacks or better strategies. But the real shifts come from addressing internal patterns. Perfectionism. People-pleasing. Imposter syndrome. The fear of being seen. That’s where confidence coaching for small business owners and leaders comes into its own. Because confidence isn’t just about self-belief. It’s about capacity, clarity, and inner authority. 

This deeper reflection isn’t fluffy. It’s foundational. 

When we redefine success through the lens of alignment, energy, and purpose, performance stops being forced. It becomes a by-product of clarity. 

The Hidden Costs of a Narrow Definition of Success 

When success is measured only in outputs like money, prestige, or achievements, it often comes at the expense of your health, your relationships, or your sense of self. 

That pressure to constantly prove your worth through doing leaves little space for simply being. 

And yet, some of the most powerful transformations I witness come not from doing more, but from doing less, better. 

From slowing down enough to hear your own thoughts.
From learning to trust yourself again.
From letting go of roles, expectations, or identities that no longer fit. 

Success doesn’t have to mean sacrifice. But too often, we don’t question the cost until it’s already high. 

Success is also broader than we’re taught to believe. As Deepak Chopra so wisely put it: 

“Success is NOT a destination. It’s a by-product of aligned action. When we chase external validation, we invite anxiety and pressure. But when we commit to the present moment, to the art of doing something well for its own sake, success flows naturally.” 

That one hits hard, doesn’t it? 

Because when you focus on aligned action, not approval chasing, success stops being a grind and starts living in flow. 

It means expanding how you define success, and where it shows up in your life. Maybe it’s not just in the boardroom, the numbers, or the praise. Maybe it’s in the quiet satisfaction of doing something well. The energy you bring home at the end of the day. The way you lead without losing yourself. 

This is where sustainable high performance lives. Not in the hustle, but in the harmony. 

You Don’t Need to Do It All. You Just Need to Do What Matters

Let me share a few quick stories from recent coaching clients: 

• A senior leader preparing for a CEO role realised she didn’t need to carry the weight alone. She started setting boundaries and leading from a calmer, more powerful place. 

• A founder paralysed by fear of judgment launched her long-awaited program and found joy again in her business. Proof of how flow coaching for entrepreneurs can reignite passion and progress. 

• A surgeon facing a high-stakes exam reconnected with her deeper purpose. Not just passing, but the lives she would impact. 

Each of them came wanting performance. What they found was something deeper. Alignment. The kind that sticks. The kind that lasts. 

That’s what Flow Coaching is really about. Creating the internal shifts that make external results sustainable. 

It’s not about pushing harder. It’s about getting clear on what matters and removing the noise that gets in the way. 

Real change isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing what’s right for you. 

So, What Does Success Look Like for You? 

Not the one on your to-do list. The one your future self will thank you for. 

True success is holistic. It’s about contribution and wellbeing. Drive and depth. Confidence and clarity. 

You can define it on your own terms. Once you stop trying to live up to everyone else’s. 

And you don’t need to fall apart to ask for help. You just need to be tired of carrying it all alone. 

If you’re a time-poor business owner or executive who’s tired of chasing but still not feeling fulfilled, you’re not alone. You might be pushing through, performing well on paper, but feeling like you’re running on fumes. That’s often when clients seek me out. Not because they’re broken, but because they need a burnout recovery coach for leaders who understands how performance, pressure, and purpose collide. 

Let’s talk about what success on your terms really looks like.  Book a Discovery Call