What does “success” mean to you?
- Amber Langston
- Nov 9, 2023
- 3 min read
Recently I started a business coaching program and in the introductory call they asked the question: What does “success” mean to you? I think my answer might surprise you. Before I answer the question, I’m going to tell you about a dream I had. I have always been a very vivid dreamer. So much so that I keep a dream journal on my bedside table in case I have one that I thought would be a good book or movie idea. This recent dream was not dream journal worthy, but it was still very realistic. In it I was a detective searching for a serial killer who was kidnapping women from a local truck stop. I posed as a trucker (despite having no truck driving experience) to try and catch him. Every time I got close, someone would ask me a question a real truck driver would know the answer to, and I would freeze and run back to hide in my truck. The truck was just for show, I had no idea how to drive it and I was very worried that I would get stuck in a situation where I would need to drive it somewhere and not be able to.
The dream obviously stuck with me, so I did what any vivid dreamer would do and Googled the hidden meaning. A few dream translation websites indicated the same translation: that in the dream I wasn’t really chasing a serial killer, I was chasing peace. You see, to me, the definition of success has always been a life filled with peace.
It’s no secret that up until now I have not had a peaceful life. My mom was very sick when I was growing up and she passed away when I was only 9. I graduated college during a recession and ended up having to work multiple jobs and despite having 2 or more streams of income, I always seemed to be on the verge of homelessness. This put me in a vulnerable position, and I met someone who took advantage of that. Luckily, I saw a way out of the situation and started building a life and a successful career. Sometimes I forget how far I’ve come, and I think I just got lucky, and the business just fell into my lap, but the truth is it was a lot of hard work.
I guess I could consider what I have now to be success. I went from struggling to having a thriving business, but I think saying that this is it, that I have arrived at success, negates the real goal. See, there is a character in the book Wild by Cheryl Strayed that exemplifies what success means to me. For those of you who haven’t read the book it’s about a woman who loses her mother to cancer and decides to heal by hiking the Pacific Crest Trail despite having no prior hiking experience. At the beginning of her journey she meets a CPA on the trail who works during tax season and then hikes the rest of the year. I remember reading that and thinking: “Holy Shit, that’s it. That’s the life I want.”
I don’t want a big house. I’m not even sure I want a house. I think I’d be happy with a plot of land and travel van that I can unhook and go anywhere in. I don’t want a lot of wealth; I just want enough money to keep me comfortable and spoil my pets. To me, success is not about what I have, but building a life where I get to experience peace as much as possible. And my favorite thing about being a CPA is being able to provide peace to my clients. To help them build their business and grow so they do not have to worry about money. I love developing tax plans and strategies, so they are not surprised by a big tax bill at the end of the year. My favorite moment in a client meeting is when I see just from their body language that they are calming down. The shoulders relax, the stress lines go away, and I can see them experience that peace. I will always love that, and I just hope I can keep seeing it for a long time, whether it’s in an office or on the side of mountain in Yosemite.
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