This past week I was at a solar conference in Boston.  I was talking to a friend at the show that is absolutely crushing it.  Someone I admire for many reasons.  He is an excellent father, he is on top of his industry, he knows everyone, and more importantly, everyone knows him.

However, he doesn’t feel successful in the traditional sense of having a lot of money.  The unfortunate truth is that most people define success by the amount of money in their bank account instead of the amount of lives they touch.

I personally know a lot of wealthy people that I would never want to emulate.  It is not hard to name people that are “successful” only in the context that they have a lot of money.  People like Bernie Madoff or Jeffery Epstein for instance.  If you google either of their names the first description that comes up is “American Financier”, but if you keep reading I am sure you would agree they were not the embodiment of what it means to be successful even though they had more money than they could spend.  This is because they lacked purpose.

When I was thinking about going to work on my own I had the pleasure of speaking with a self-made billionaire who was interviewing me for a 1099 position at a company he invested in.  Although we have never met, he left a profound impression on me because he wanted to know more about me as a father and husband than me as a businessman.  

Here is what he said to me during our short conversation, “I am a firm believer that no success outside of the home can make up for failure inside the home.”

This struck me hard.  I know people who retired from Costco, the church, or are teachers, System Analysts, Accountants, and RN’s that are not considered by most standards to be “wealthy”, but they are people I admire and believe are successful.

Like the guy in the beginning of the story, they were all great family men and women.  I define each of them as successful not because of how much money they did or didn’t make, but rather, how much they give.

I think it is time we reframe our perspective on success.  Success and financial independence do not have to be mutually inclusive.  Success is really defined as the accomplishment of an aim or purpose.  

This week I encourage you to define your purpose.  When you start achieving something you believe in . . . that my friend, is true success.

As always, remember that you are limitless.

Welcome to the Limitless Podcast with Nathan Jovanelly.  Thanks for tuning in.