Are You Chasing Someone Else's Definition of Success?

Once upon a time, I played golf.

My husband has been a mad keen golfer since he was a kid, and I wanted to share that passion with him. So I took lessons and played every week.

I sucked.

I became an expert at air swings, slicing, shanking, and ground-grubbers.

But I persevered and gave myself an incentive.

I decided that if I could play 9 holes in under 55 shots (I was averaging in the low 60s), I would buy myself a fancy pair of golf shoes.

My golf got worse.

I tried harder. Played more often to earn these swanky shoes so I could feel like 'a real golfer'.

The problem? Golf isn't my game.

I made the mistake of wanting something that wasn't really mine to want.

The Borrowed Goals We Chase

Here's what I realised: I was chasing someone else's definition of success. And if you're feeling stuck or drained in your business, chances are you're doing the same thing.

We grow up copying the behaviour of other people in our lives, including their goals. Their definitions of success.

The result? You find yourself on paths you don't enjoy, doing work you hate, all in the name of 'success'.

You'll need to constantly summon energy to reach goals that don't truly matter to you.

While these goals might excite your peers, they leave you cold - and that's what counts.

You may achieve your 'success', but it won't feel satisfying because while you're getting what you want, you're not getting what you truly need.

Like freedom. Freedom to pursue what matters to you.

Your Goals Are Uniquely Yours

Your goals are unique. No one else has the exact same goals as you, but we all act as if we do.

Stop pursuing what you've been told to desire. Start taking steps towards what you truly want.

One leads to dissatisfaction and regret, while the other opens the doors to what delights you.

What This Means for You

As we head into 2026, it's the perfect time to check your business goals. Are you building what YOU want, or what you think you should want? If it's the latter, it's time to redesign.

I ditched my golf goal decades ago. While my husband plays his weekly round of golf with friends, I sit down with a bunch of fun friends and play Mahjong. It's an absolute delight!

What borrowed goals are you ready to let go of?

Ready to identify your borrowed goals and get clear on what actually matters to YOU?

Join me for The Aligned Achievement Model - a 90-minute workshop on January 14th where we'll work through Step 1 together: Get Clear on What Actually Matters. You'll walk away knowing exactly which goals to pursue and which ones to ditch before you waste another year chasing the wrong things.  Click HERE to find out more.