Kinda chic.
When I was a kid I thought success looked like becoming a grown up.
Nobody tells you that adulthood is mostly emails and figuring out what you want for dinner every night.
When I became an adult, I thought success was promotions, titles, bigger paychecks, and although they felt nice, they kept dragging me further and further away from my life.
Over the years I've learned that success is deeply personal.
For me, it's having time to travel, it's the ability to close my laptop and have a life after 5pm, it's having time to work out, for my hobbies, for fun.
It looks like becoming the kind of manager I wish I had had.
It's building work into my life instead of convincing myself that work is my life.
It looks like continuing to honor the season of life that you're in and knowing that seasons change.
Little madison never dreamed about answering emails, she dreamed about adventures, airplane rides and chicken nuggets, and my greatest success is ensuring she gets that.
Reflecting on the concept of success from a personal perspective has significantly reshaped my approach to life and work. For many years, I chased the traditional markers of success—promotions, higher salaries, impressive titles—only to realize these milestones often demanded sacrifices that distanced me from the life I truly valued. What resonated deeply with me is the idea of being "kinda chic" to stop rushing and to reconnect with the inner child many of us have lost touch with. This means honoring the playful, adventurous spirit that once defined our dreams before adulthood’s responsibilities took over. For example, the notion of 'being the person your younger self needed' is powerful; it encourages compassionate leadership and personal authenticity. In everyday life, this philosophy translates into prioritizing things like having time for travel, working out, hobbies, or simply closing the laptop after work hours. It also means cultivating work environments and managerial roles that support psychological well-being rather than just productivity. In my experience, success is seasonal—what matters changes over time, and that's okay. Sometimes it’s about pushing boundaries, much like the adventurous spirit evoked by places like Cape Point at 21°24" S, 18°29'51" E in South Africa, a reminder to explore beyond expectations. Other times, it’s about quiet moments of self-reflection and reconnecting with the authentic self who craves joy in simple things—like airplane rides or chicken nuggets. This journey toward a balanced life is an ongoing process. It involves frequently asking, "Am I living the life that my younger self dreamed of?" and making adjustments to keep that inner child’s dreams alive. Embracing this mindset has brought me closer to a sense of fulfillment that no job title or paycheck alone could provide.
