Success

I was interviewed last week by a national women’s magazine on the subject of women and success.

It’s got me thinking.

I shared with the editor some of the things my team and I observe through our coaching business:

-how women define success shifts depending on their age and life stage

-the economic crash has impacted how everyone–men and women—view success

-having kids radically changes how most people think about success

-in our post 9/11 era, we all realize how impermanent everything is—this has challenged us to become more introspective and to begin looking at life from the inside-out

-women—who usually wear many hats and are often primary caregivers—often look at success more holistically than men; it’s not just tied to career or finances

But what I find most interesting and what we hear through the facilitators and participants in our Personal Renewal Groups, is that women tend to define success by asking, “Do I have the time, energy and resources to devote to what is most important to me right now?” Interestingly this is also how I define life balance.

Whether it’s working on a book, spending more time with our husbands, launching a new product at work, caring for an aging parent, reducing our hours and not overworking, learning to bake bread, creating more space for outings with our kids, finding work that is fulfilling and meaningful or establishing a nonprofit, our version of what success looks and feels like changes monthly—sometimes, weekly!

I have been planning since last December to devote July to my new project on everyday spirituality. I have looked forward to this writing sabbatical with incredible anticipation.

For me, success was being able to take July off and devote uninterrupted time to my exciting new project.

But, we got the surprising news last Friday that my husband was layed off from his software quality assurance job, so now success is up for re-definition once again, based on my new role as sole breadwinner. (My husband is very supportive and hopeful he’ll find a job quickly so I’ll still be able to take this writing sabbatical. Fingers are crossed.)

How do you define success? How has it changed for you in the last 10 years? Do you think men and women define success differently? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic here or on our Live Inside Out community.

And, if you are self-employed and interested in getting support around re-defining your relationship to your business and what success looks like for you–join us this Friday, June 11th at The Empowered Entrepreneur in Austin!

JOIN A GROUP, ATTEND A RETREAT/WORKSHOP OR DIALOGUE WITH ME: Would you like support for defining what success means to you? Join us in the cool Berkshire mountains in MA this coming August at the beautiful Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health for our Self-Renewal Retreat Aug. 13-15. One of my favorite spots on the planet and the retreat center that I visit when I’m ready to make a huge life shift! Visit our calendar to learn more about upcoming events including our FREE June 17th Live Inside Out teleclass for couples on Staying Connected to Your Partner and our June 11th The Empowered Entrepreneur workshop.

Also, check out our Live Inside Out community and share how you create balance in your relationship.

The Journey, a blog about coach/author/entrepreneur Renee Trudeau’s personal journey to life balance and living life from the inside out, comes out weekly.

Photo: A field of sunflowers in Taos, New Mexico. Just like us, they often look similar but are growing and evolving at their own, unique pace.