Beyond Success
The First Steps Towards Personal Fulfillment
Ah, success—that little word that pops up in every conversation. YouTuber? Parent? Business owner? The examples are countless, and it’s there, what we might call the ultimate goal of joy, to find oneself fulfilled and successful in life, whether personal or professional.
Just as I was about to ask you what success means to you, I had another idea—to tell you a little story to bring you to the point where I want to take you.
Who’s talking?
Today, at 36, I look back at my journey and realize I have many experiences under my belt, but more importantly, I am aware that I have gone through significant self-reflection.
After working for several years as a job coach and project coordinator, I decided to retrain as a personal coach to help others find their paths. It’s not that I know better than anyone else what is right for them, as this question truly depends on each person, but I have always had a driving force to share what worked for me and to communicate in a way that makes things understandable.
And what about this discovery of a passion for writing, combining creativity and reflection in my career by sometimes playing the role of a writer?
You see, I’ve already started rambling, driven by this thirst for writing that characterizes me. So, instead of giving you my entire biography or resume, I’d like to get to the heart of what I want to share.
The Trigger
Three years ago, after a breakup, my whole world changed following an epiphany—I realized I was constantly unhappy. I had a stable job and earned a good living, many activities, and was surrounded by wonderful people who were, and still are, loyal friends for the most part.
But I felt very unhappy, as if I was not in the right place, as if I was constantly reliving the same day, the same activities, always seeing the same people. To be honest, I even felt like I was in the Truman Show and wondered if the landscape around me was a movie set.
It took time to identify the sources of my unhappiness, and then, after a particularly inspiring encounter, I realized what was wrong. I was not fulfilled and felt like life was constantly passing me by. My job provided a comfortable situation, I had very nice colleagues, and it wasn’t the most unpleasant job in the world, far from it. But despite that, I was bored and just did the bare minimum.
My activities were interesting, but I practiced them more out of habit than genuine desire. The people I saw brought me joy, but sometimes I felt like I already knew everything they told me.
Farewell and Adieu to You
One day, following yet another awareness, I felt the need to change everything, and I mean everything! It was like a frantic need to redecorate a house on a whim. And I won’t lie to you, it wasn’t always easy.
I decided to take a career break to launch into another activity. I had ideas, but everything was so new to me. And I was well-institutionalized, and you may know how difficult it can be to break the cycle of a well-oiled routine.
Passionate about travel and discovery, I wanted to try something different, like a world tour in search of who I would become. It was while reflecting on my journey that I had the idea to write down everything that had crossed my mind, to understand how I had gotten there.
From this idea, I discovered a thirst for writing, telling my adventure, and I invite you to read the various chapters when they become available. I also hope you will enjoy the story!
The Epiphany
It sounds easy when said like that, but it was a journey with its various moments of doubt and joy. But as I progressed, I found myself connecting more and more to my true path, finding what really made me vibrate.
Today, looking back at this journey over the past few months, I have learned and will continue to learn more tomorrow. I have made mistakes that have helped me grow, and I have also made choices that went in a direction that suited me.
But above all, I no longer have that constant sting of unhappiness and actually feel happy. I even smile when I think about the difficult moments I’ve been through and will go through again, as they somehow make my path to personal victories even more appreciable.
During this "sabbatical" year, driven by a passion for writing, my mind went in all directions. I was frenetically writing, exorcising everything inside me—anecdotes, fears, and especially the lessons and advice I drew from them.
In parallel, I began developing another book about the recipe for success and the path to personal fulfillment. My goal was to combine my self-reflection and the way I approached it from all angles. But above all, my aim was to share a practical approach, combining all the knowledge accumulated through my experience as a project manager and coach in the broad sense.
So, what is success?
The first thing that became clear to me is that the notion of success is personal to each individual. While we often tend to equate it with professional success and financial comfort, we sometimes forget about personal fulfillment, whether it be through activities, friendships, or spirituality.
The conclusion I drew is that fulfillment is the key to real success. Remember, you can be rich but still alone like Citizen Kane. What I mean is that being fulfilled in one area is quite futile if you are not in others. It’s as if all the items of happiness were part of a constellation whose different orbits must be connected to each other and depend on several factors.
However, I have learned a very important lesson that I want to share with you, the one that changed everything for me when I decided to become an active participant in my life rather than just a spectator.
If you feel unhappy or unfulfilled in any aspect of your life, I could tell you to roll up your sleeves. But, wanting to avoid being a lesson-giver, which doesn’t suit me, I especially want to encourage you to give yourself the means to work towards your own happiness, whether it’s starting a business, founding a family, or packing your bags like I did.
The road is not always easy, but it is worth the detour, and as my former sports coach used to say: the hardest part of training is putting on your shorts.
Something to think about, dear readers!
See you soon, and please feel free to share your feedback in the comments.
Thanks for reading,
