"Check out that guy's ride!" I used to think. "He's clearly winning at life. That's the kind of person I want to be."

That was my mindset as a teenager, and if I'm being honest, it stayed with me well into my twenties.

In those days, I was convinced that luxury items were the ultimate scoreboard. Designer labels meant wealth; a massive home meant they were loaded; and a high-end vehicle was the unmistakable mark of a professional who had truly arrived.

Back then, the math for measuring success felt so simple.

Expensive stuff = Success

Reflecting on it now, I suspect much of that perspective stemmed from my upbringing in a lower-income household. Since luxury was out of reach, my brother and I spent our time dreaming of the unattainable. I even had a Lamborghini poster prominently displayed on my bedroom wall. Looking back, it’s hilarious. Why was a fourteen-year-old obsessed with a supercar he couldn’t even drive yet? 😂

My career in finance began when I was just twenty-one. Surrounded by colleagues in bespoke suits and high-end vehicles, I felt a desperate need to fit in. The last thing I wanted was to pull up to a client's driveway wearing off-the-rack clothes and driving my father's Oldsmobile.

"What will they think?" I worried. I was certain their first impression would be that I was a failure. If he can't afford a sharp suit or a premium car, they'd reason, why should we trust him with our money? We should probably find someone else.

Driven by that fear, I charged a wardrobe of suits to my credit card and signed a lease for an Audi A4. It wasn't the most expensive model, but it was enough to pass that initial "success" test. The reality? I didn't actually have the funds for any of it. I was a rookie advisor just trying to keep my head above water.

But my manager insisted I "look the part." Eventually, I realized that nearly everyone in the office was simply playing the same game. The classic "fake it till you make it" strategy. In truth, most of them were drowning in debt and barely surviving the industry's pressures.

I recently stumbled upon this image that was shared by the Six Seconds organization and it got me thinking.

When we enter the workforce, we equate success with job titles and salaries. Typically, the better job title and higher salary someone has, the wealthier they are. At least, that’s what we are programmed to think early on in our career.

But a better way to measure success is to take a look at how much free time you have, if you’re able to make a difference in other people’s lives, if you love what you do, have a good relationship with your family members or if you are in good health. Once you accept that success can be measured in many different ways, not just your job title or salary, that’s when your life will change for the better.

Regardless if you are just starting out and not making a lot of money or if you’re the CEO with a large compensation package, you can still feel successful in your life.

Redefining success for yourself is a personal journey that involves introspection and aligning your life with your core values and aspirations.

Here are some steps to help you measure success on your own terms:

Remember, success is deeply personal, and it's okay for your definition to evolve over time. What's most important is that your definition of success brings you a sense of fulfillment and joy.

~Alex