Beyond Success: What if success isn’t a thing?

Five minutes into a four-day “Beyond Success” course and I’d had my money’s worth.   

“There’s no such thing as success”, my mentor said, and my body relaxed, relieved. 

How deeply freeing that statement is. Success isn’t a thing you can get or hold. It doesn’t exist in nature. It’s something we’ve made up, a description of activity we’ve turned into an abstract noun. 

We can succeed at things, but “success” itself isn’t something we can obtain. And somehow, knowing that took a huge weight off my shoulders. 

Here’s my top 5 takeaways from the rest of that first morning…(plenty more to come for those that stress themselves out with the idea of success, I’ve got your back!) 

1. Success is not a thing 

We spend so much of our lives chasing something that doesn’t actually exist. Success isn’t out there waiting for us to find it. We can succeed at things, sure, but there’s no finish line called “success.” Seeing through that illusion helps us drop the pressure and breathe again. 

2. You can still want what you want 

Just because success isn’t real doesn’t mean you stop creating or going after things you want. You can still build, grow, and achieve, but not because you think it will finally make you feel happy and complete. Go for what you want because you genuinely want it, not because you’re chasing a feeling. 

3. Stop playing hide and seek with happiness 

Most of us have been taught to associate happiness with achievement, often saying, “I’ll be happy when…” But that game never ends. The good news? The feelings we’re chasing are already available to us, in any moment. So, what if we stopped trying to earn happiness and just allowed it to come to us? 

4. Play a better game 

The default “game of success” is exhausting.  There are better games to play, ones that aim to get us what we really want. Create what we really want to create. Wanting something can be a fun, energising game when you’re not using it as a measure of your worth, or chasing a feeling. 

5. You don’t need to change to succeed at something 

This one really landed. We often think we need to become more disciplined, confident, or fearless before we can succeed. But you don’t need to be different; you just need to start. People far more scared or uncertain than you have succeeded at getting what they wanted. So decide what you want to create, set out in that direction, take action, and see what happens. You’ll need to put some hours in, and you may need some luck, but you don’t need to change. 

Since that first morning, I’ve been noticing how often I still slip into the “success” game; measuring, comparing, striving. But I’m also seeing how much lighter life feels when I let that idea go. There’s more space to create, to enjoy, to actually live. 

Maybe beyond success is exactly where the good stuff begins. 

If you’d like to explore going after what you really want, not to feel complete, but for the fun of it, book a call, we should talk. 

Mehalah Beckett is a coach, consultant and trusted advisor passionate about people, the planet and empowering others to inspire positive change. She coaches purpose-driven leaders to achieve impossible goals, hosts MasterMinds for hungry entrepreneurs, and guides businesses through B-Corp certification. What can I help you achieve over the next year?