There was a time when I thought success looked like being busy.

Always working. Always hustling. Always pushing until exhaustion.

The busier you were, the more successful you must be… right?

At least that’s what I believed.

I’ve also spent most of my life feeling like I had something to prove. To family. To friends. To customers. To everyone.

That constant pressure to prove yourself is exhausting.

But growth changes things.

It changes what you tolerate.
It changes what you value.
And sometimes it changes everything about how you measure success.

When my former company suddenly went bankrupt, the ground fell out from under me.

It happened about three and a half months after Nicole passed away.

That business had become one of the only things holding me together. It gave me something to focus on. Something to wake up for in the morning.

When it disappeared, I spiraled.

I didn’t know what I was going to do next. I had built a nice little business and was finally starting to do well. Losing it — and losing the income — hurt.

But more than anything, I lost my sense of purpose.

And that was terrifying.

Then something unexpected happened.

A Spice Affair stepped in and created the Elite Spice Ambassador (ESA) program specifically for those of us who had been left out in the cold.

They welcomed us with open arms.

I fell in love with the products, but even more than that, I fell in love with the community they had built.

Around the same time, I discovered Super Patch.

The moment I placed that little square on my body, something shifted. I was sold.

But again, what stood out wasn’t just the product.

It was the people.

The support.
The encouragement.
The genuine care.

In both of these communities, people actually show up for each other.

That meant more to me than I can explain.

You see, I live alone with Sir Kit Kat.

Most days, my online community is where I find connection, support, and encouragement. And those connections matter deeply to me.

Growth changed my standards.

I won’t tolerate negativity the way I used to. I will do what I need to do to protect my peace.

Sometimes that means working through uncomfortable emotions. Sometimes it means walking away from environments that no longer serve me.

Five years ago, success meant being busy and proving myself.

Today, success looks different.

It looks like love.
It looks like support.
It looks like chosen family.
It looks like peace and healing.

Because success isn’t measured by what you own or how big something looks from the outside.

The biggest and the best don’t fill the void.

Real success is measured by your self-worth and the people who stand beside you.

Growth didn’t just change my life.

It changed how I live it.

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💛 Your Turn

What does success look like to you now compared to five years ago?

If this resonated with you, I’d love for you to leave a comment on the blog. I read every single one.