I Had a Million Dollar Year, And Felt Emptier Than Ever

Have you ever had a million-dollar year?

Seriously.

I really want to know if you've had a million-dollar year. A year where you literally, not figuratively, get to put 7-figures in your bank. A time when you could log into your account and see a number that was equal to or greater than USD 1,000,000.00.

I have.

Seriously. I have. You see, in my past life, I was a startup founder and CEO.

Sure, yeah, I'm a registered nurse, and the mistake many folks make is that they define themselves by their vocation.

I did that too until I realized that I was putting myself in a box.

Then one day, I broke outta that damn box and started a company. It went on to make a shit ton of money. My life, and the life of my family, changed forever.

But I'm not gonna write today about that million-dollar journey. I'm not gonna write about how a fella who is "just a nurse" founded a firm that produced over $300 million in gross revenues. I'm not gonna write about any of that.

I want to share my old and now my new views on what success is.

You see, back in the day, I really wanted to make a lot of money. I wasn't sure how, but I knew I had the drive. Maybe you do too? Perhaps you totally have that same drive?

I'm not sure why my goal or definition of success was literal wealth.

Maybe it's because of modern pop culture?

Maybe it's due to my upbringing?

Maybe it's simply because I didn't know what I didn't know about true success?

*shrugs shoulders*

Look, success is one of those words that everyone seems to have a different definition for.

For some, it might mean making a lot of money, while others might see it as being happy and fulfilled in their work. Still, others might consider success to be measured by the number of friends or family they have or how much they've contributed to society.

Or maybe it's a mixture of all that.

I'm not here to judge. Nor am I gonna tell you what's right and what's wrong.

But what I am gonna do is share what success means to me now in hopes that perhaps if you are like I was, then after reading this, you'll expand your mind as to what success might genuinely mean.

If you don't take the time to define what success means to you on a deep level, your success will define you. And you may not be pleased with the result.

After I had a big check in my hand, I realized I was empty.

But that's for another day and another story.

As Tony Robbins says, "Success without fulfillment is the ultimate failure."

Success isn't about how much money you make, how famous you are, or the number of acres you live on. Success isn't about your Instagram followers' size or how much your bottom line grew last year.

You see, those are metrics.

Byproducts.

The key to success is to define success for yourself.

So one day, I decided to make a list. A list that when I can check off each item, I know I will have achieved success.

Wanna see my list?

Here it is. Updated in 2022. Please feel free to borrow or steal any of my items and make them yours.

I know I'm successful when…

1. My life is fun, easy, and wicked simple...

2. I am sexier, fitter, and stronger this year than last...

3. I have quality time to nurture my soul...

4. I have quality time for my wife, kids, and grandkids...

5. I regularly do things that excite me and/or scare me, and on my terms...

6. My freelance writing business creates more freedom for my family and me every day...

7. The quality of my clients this year eclipses the caliber of them last year...

8. Our "almost" passive income eclipses our lifestyle needs...

9. My social impact this year is more significant than before...

The final word

So, what does success mean to you?

It's a question worth asking – especially if you're not entirely satisfied with your current definition of the term.

Defining success is a personal journey, and it can take time (or an epiphany) to figure out what works for you. Success isn't one-size-fits-all, so don't try to force it to be.

Instead, take the time to figure out what success means to you – and then go out and achieve it.

My "successful" life, real-time...