Redefining Success, Away From The Corporate Ladder: Creating a Life on Your Terms
- Erin Ratliff
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
Success isnt measured in the bank account. It's measured in the nervous system.
Lauren Love
Growing up we’re taught that success has a single, universal path: work harder, earn more, achieve more, be more visible, be more impressive. But for many people, especially those who are sensitive feelers or divergent thinkers, chasing that version of 'fulfillment' only leads to burnout, anxiety, and quiet confusion.
True success is not defined by external markers of advancement: important-sounding titles, big salaries, or hierarchical status. Ultimately, it’s about creating a balanced life of health, happiness and well-being.
Real success isn’t one-size-fits-all. It’s personal. And until you define it for yourself, you’ll always be living inside someone else’s rules and expectations.
From an early age, we’re rewarded for achievement, productivity, and endurance- which wires our nervous systems to equate safety and worth with output, status, and accumulation.
Why Your Definition of Success Matters
When you take the time to clarify what success actually means to you, something powerful happens. You stop measuring your life against external standards and start aligning it with your values, desires, and natural rhythms. This isn’t indulgent—it’s grounding. It’s how self-love moves from an idea into a lived practice.
Instead of chasing milestones that don’t nourish you, you begin to recognize and celebrate progress that’s meaningful on your own terms. Here's what actually counts in life:
Small wins
Rest
Emotional stability
Inner peace
Regulation
Health
Sense of purpose
Contribution
Collaboration
Personal fulfillment
Happiness
Strong connections to family, friends, neighbors
We’ve been conditioned to believe that productivity equals worth and that exhaustion is proof of commitment.
Calmness and contentment get framed as laziness, complacency, or a lack of ambition, when in reality they are signs of sustainable well-being.
Success without well-being isn’t actually success—it’s survival.
“Being able to regulate emotions is the single most important factor in determining long-term success and well-being.”
Dr. Daniel Golema
More Than Money
We often lump success into financial wealth, but money is just one form of resource. In reality, there are at least four kinds of wealth:
Financial wealth: money and material security
Social wealth: relationships, community, and support
Time wealth: freedom, flexibility, and spaciousness
Physical wealth: health, energy, and nervous system regulation
Many jobs promise financial and social wealth while quietly draining time and health. That’s not a fair trade—especially when the nervous system pays the price.
The irony is that without calm and nervous system safety, success is fragile—easily lost to burnout, illness, or disconnection. At the end of the day, a regulated nervous system makes everything else—especially money—easier to manage and multiply.
True wealth is stored in the body, not the bank. It is about being well-energized, well-resourced, well-nourished, well-rested, well-inspired, well-loved.
Quality Over Quantity
There’s a persistent myth that success requires mass visibility. But not everyone is built for scale, spotlight, or constant output. Many people—especially highly sensitive, relational, or depth-oriented individuals—are designed to create impact through true connection: depth, intimacy, loyalty and trust.
It's ok to be selective and discerning. In fact, serving "better but less" (fewer, well-aligned people) can generate just as much, or more, income and abundance than chasing a large audience—and often with far less depletion.
"What makes a great life? Something to do, someone to love, something to look forward to, and something to give back."
Dan Buettner
Defining Success for Yourself
If you want clarity, start by reflecting—not on what you should want, but on what has actually mattered in your lived experience. These answers point toward your authentic metrics of success.
What are you most proud of from your past?
Who do you admire—and why?
Who do you envy (and what might that reveal)?
What have your peak experiences been so far?
What activities put you into flow or spark real joy?
Mantra: Everything is a win when experience is the goal.
"The true measure of success is a regulated and relaxed nervous system."
Aurora Eggert
Success as Contentment
We've been taught to ignore stress signals and normalize exhaustion in the name of “productivity” "progress" and "growth."
The real problem isn’t lack of ambition—it’s being wired to believe that success (on paper) matters more than success in our bodies.
Vital reframe: the better you feel, the more successful you actually are.
Reframe success into JOY and EXPERIENCE. When our hobbies, interests, relationships, travel, adventures, connections,and generosity become the compass and goal, everything becomes a win!
“Happiness is not achieved by the conscious pursuit of happiness; it is generally the by-product of other activities.”
Aldous Huxley
Wrapping It Up
Modern culture teaches us to prioritize wealth and achievement, but psychology, neuroscience, and philosophy consistently show that calm, regulation, connection, and contentment are the true foundations of a successful life.
True prosperity isn’t just about what you can earn or achieve; it’s about your capacity to feel safe in your own body, to enjoy your life as you’re living it, and to have enough internal stability to meet challenges without collapsing. When calm and contentment are treated as foundational rather than optional, success becomes something you can actually sustain—and enjoy.
The bottom line: A life that looks good from the outside and feels awful on the inside is not a life well-lived. Real success is quiet, slow, simple, barely noticeable. It priorities depth, meaning, and healing.
Create your life on YOUR terms. That, in itself, is the real success!
“A good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge.”
Bertrand Russell
Erin Ratliff is a holistic business coach and consultant specializing in organic growth + visibility for heart-led soul-preneurs and energy-sensitive self-starters in pursuit of personal and planetary healing.
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