As we approach the end of the year, I have a deja vu: my social media feed gets flooded with pictures of success, yearly reports, jaw-dropping stats and the final verdict:
“2024 was a success.”
Reflecting on my 2024, the truth is that I missed many of my goals.
But the interesting thing is that success is not binary.
It’s not about absolutes and opposites.
Success is not black or white but a spectrum of colors: a rainbow.
I love setting goals; it’s part of human nature: the chase, the thrill, the win.
But those metrics and SMART goals are just masking something else: the true picture of success.
Our goals are a reflection of the person we aspire to be:
The better version of ourselves.
When we say we want to lose 5kg, what we really want is to feel confident in front of the mirror.
When I say I want to sell 1,000 books, my true goal is to become a recognized author whose writing is appreciated.
A goal of 10,000 followers mirrors the wish to be heard, valued and respected in the community.
Many people judge success by arbitrary goals when, in reality, success is in the actual journey that takes us from A to B, regardless of whether we actually get to B.
Perhaps you didn’t lose 5kg, but you exercised throughout the year and feel better in your skin.
Maybe you didn’t sell 1,000 copies, but you published your first book and started building your name and calling yourself a writer.
You might not have become a Bestseller, but you grew your community around what you're passionate about.
I missed my goal of reaching 10,000 subscribers on Substack, yet I published hundreds of articles and Notes and my little tribe is thriving, both in English and Spanish.
I didn’t win any run races, but I exercised most days, did a triathlon with my husband, ran in beautiful countries such as Croatia, Australia, Malaysia and Indonesia, and joined my little ones on their first 5k Park Run, passing the love for sports to my daughters.
I didn’t speak at a TEDx but I delivered dozens of keynotes and webinars to organizations and even Fortune 500. I’m cementing the building blocks as a speaker and I’m more confident on stage than I was 1 year ago.
I didn’t sell 5,000 books, but I wrote every day, participated in my first book fair at the sweet age of 43, and helped my 6-year-old publish her first book, The Story of The Little Rabbit.
See, I didn’t make it from A to B, but in the process of trying, I became a better writer, entrepreneur, speaker and person.
A better version of myself.
Quantifying success is important.
It’s like having a compass to help us move forward and steer our life (or perhaps stir it!) in the right direction.
But what matters is the journey and the little steps that take us closer to the better version of ourselves.
Use targets as tools and accessories but don’t lose sight of your footprints and how far you've come.
Don’t let arbitrary metrics dictate success.
The win lies in the journey and who you take along your ride ❤️
Lemons & Lemonade 🍋
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Wishing you a wonderful 2025 full of love hearts and blue skies!
Love this! Thanks. It's a great insight.
I always appreciate how transparent you are about your own process and journey! Your reframe of goals helps my reflection as well. Here's what you inspired me to consider.
I may not have 1K subscribers (yet) but I posted regularly and have people that are engaged with my writing - and it's more than this time last year!
I don't have a full Spiritual Direction practice yet, but I have loyal, regular clients and I am in the black after the first 6 months or running my business - and this time last year I didn't have an LLC!
I didn't grow my social media platform majorly, but I was a guest on over 50 podcasts, and this time last year had never been on any!