I don’t want to spend too much time on today’s post, but I really want to emphasize how I define success in life. I used to think success was all about money, the house, the cars, the job, etc. Little did I know that that’s only a very small percentage of true success. My definition of success has many facets. I always had a picture in my mind of what that looked like, but today, I’m going to describe it through these key strokes.

I look at my life today and I can’t help but feel whole. There are days that I still find myself in complete awe. I sometimes think that it is hard to believe that I am living the exact life that I always imagined. When I sit in my living room with a glass of wine in my hand on a Friday evening and look around, I am reminded. When I reflect on the challenges that I have overcome, I am reminded. When I think of what’s to come, I am reminded. I sit and reflect. I am exactly the woman I saw myself being; business-oriented, driven, passionate, loving, a dog mom (haha), nurturing, creative, adventurous, stable, and most importantly, at peace. I believe I have worked hard by pushing myself through college, grinding my way up in Corporate America and have built a priceless foundation. I find myself at peace for a few reasons that I’ll elaborate on below.

My Love. I have an amazing relationship with a man who just loves making me smile. He’s so selfless and is always looking for an activity that we can do together, may it be a fun painting project for our DYI home decor projects, preparing for happy hour when I get home, planning trips right and left, date nights at least twice a week, workout activities, and so much more. Some of our greatest conversations and plans come out of our ‘wisdom walks’ where we sometimes get lost in the moment and walk 5-8 miles. One of my favorite things about us is our ability to talk about anything. He provides his undivided attention by listening to what I have to say and is my emotional support in everything that I do. I love that. What’s even more amazing is how you can see and feel how much he adores me. I have fallen in love with his unwavering love and commitment to me and our relationship. It’s exquisite. Life is just such a fun adventure with him and it really fills the cup to the rim in that department. What a fulfillment! The peace here is that I never question him or his love for me.

My job. I’m doing great things and launching awesome projects. My commute is 20 mins with little to no traffic. Who wouldn’t love that? I have my challenging days where I’m in meetings back-to-back or I’m put in very tough situations, but I’m working my way up so these situations will come and go; they make me a better leader. What I have learned is always keep yourself calm and approach everyone with peaceful encounters. It’ll take you far, trust me. At the end of the day, I keep work and personal very separate. I love what I do, so the cup is full in this department as well. I am at peace knowing that I have reached such a milestone in my career and the knowledge I am gaining is endless.

Little to no social media. I’ve mentioned this a few times throughout my blog. I come and go in this realm due to my optimism thinking there can be a balance. Social media seems to be like an alternate reality where we don’t fully understand the downfalls. Use it with moderation. I have been living my life through a different lens for quite some time now so I need to align the two. I have been more focused on the now and what I’m doing rather than wasting time in an alternate reality. Living in the moment has created a more peaceful tone. Again, moderation is key.

My family. I have a unique situation when it comes to my family, but I feel that I have so much to be grateful for here. If the stars would have aligned differently back in 1987, I would not be sitting here typing this for you all right now (I am not even going to say where I would be). Things could have so easily turned in the opposite direction, but they didn’t so I can’t help but believe that things ALWAYS happen for a reason. Because of that, I have an amazing, amazing, AMAZING man that I get to call my Dad. I see him the most and cherish our precious time together. I truly live in the moment with this man because I almost lost him forever not too long ago, twice. I do not take life for granted when I look at life through his eyes. Talk about a true American Dream story for a man that I call my Angel, my first real best friend. Due to distance, I am not able to be close to other members of my family, but it’s a great feeling when you know that you never miss a beat when you do see them. I may not have the ideal family setup, but it’s mine and I have a lot of peace with how it all turned out.

My friends. Shoutout to my amazing friends! I have really put a lot of emphasis on creating and maintaining healthy friends and for the first time in my life, I truly feel that I have quite the crew! I can count these ladies on one hand, but I’m all about quality over quantity, all day, everyday. With my time being very limited and precious, it’s always a pleasure spending it with the women who are there no matter what; some since middle school and some friendships formed in the business world. I am at peace because I have worked very hard to shed the unhealthy ones and nurture the healthy ones. I love my crew!

In all areas of my life, I have zero drama. I’m not worried nor do I have fear; not stressed nor lacking of anything. I believe that this is the case because I have paid attention to what to avoid and nourished what is important in life. We create the reality that we live in and I’ve put a tremendous amount of effort into making it a good one. I have learned that true success is peace. Having peace in all that I do. Carry it with you always.