What is your version of success?
Do you know what you want?
So I bet you think the above question is easy right? You know exactly what you want.
Or do you?
I mean have you really thought about it in great detail? When I speak to my fellow women in business this question can actually be really hard for them to answer. And when you dig even deeper they also start to realise that what they thought they wanted was actually someone else's version of success.
When I say deep, I mean deep. Do you know what your ideal week, day or month looks like? Both financially and with how you use your time? Do you have your financial goal that you plucked out thin air but have no clue as how you would use it? It's so common and I have been there as well.
The other side of it is making someone else's version of success the thing we aim for. Don't get me wrong it's great to be inspired but that goal is not yours and it's probably why you keep finding yourself going round in circles.
One version of success doesn't fit everyone and it is as individual as you are.
Knowing what you want in detail will be your motivator, it will be what gets you out of bed in the morning and it's what will get you through those times where everything feels like it's going wrong. Knowing what you want will give you the direction you need and make every action you take intentional.
No more flapping about from day to day being 'busy' knowing the end goal means you can make an actual plan to move you ever closer to that end goal.
Of course things change. Life can often throw up some unexpected curve balls that make you re-evaluate EVERYTHING! I myself have just been through such a time and it's led to me sitting down and reviewing what my version of success is. This has been such an important exercise for me as for a good couple of weeks I felt lost. I had no idea who I was anymore or what my future would look like.
Knowing this has given me direction again and I have done it well away from the hustle and bustle of social media or influence. I wanted this to be mine and mine alone.
And today I am going to share it with you and then I would love for you to share with me yours.
My ideal day.
So my perfect day goes like this... I wake up at 6am and I eat a great breakfast and then I go to my horses where I spend the entire morning with them, my dog and the great outdoors. I then go home take a long bath and have a nice lunch before sitting down to work. I only work 5hrs but it's productive work. I get my editing done, I speak to my clients, I write and I do my daily marketing. My evenings are then spent either cooking a nice meal or going out somewhere dog friendly for a nice meal with some reading and journalling.
My ideal week.
My ideal week is made up of lots of ideal days BUT also those days where I am on location with my amazing clients creating beautiful photos. Some weeks I may go away for a couple of days to create new content for the content subscription or to see family or to simply have an adventure. Having freedom of choice and fulfilling work is important to me.
Money.
I am an easy to please kind of girl. And when I sat down and wrote two lists of what things I need to pay for every month (rent, bills, business costs etc) and then things that I want to pay for every month (holidays, days out, treats, savings) the number wasn't that high. I really looked at the things that make me happy and what type of home would make me happy and so my money goal of £6000pm has come to be. That's so achievable it made me laugh when the calculator gave me that number.
My home.
Again simplicity is what makes me happy and comfort. I don't want or need a big home. A one or two bed cottage in the middle of nowhere is what I am focused on at the moment to rent. I want a cosy feel, a sociable kitchen and good walking right out the door. I also want a small but inspiring space to work and create content. Eventually I want to buy somewhere like this and that's why saving £1000 a month is in my money goal.
My work.
I love what I do, I mean really love it. Working with the women I get to work with brings me so much joy and that's how I want it to continue. I want to document beautiful images and then watch the women I work with leverage them so they can be more visible and get themselves out there. My happiness comes from seeing their success. Eventually more and more coaching will come into this especially once I have qualified next year to become a facilitator of equine assisted human development meaning I can help more women develop the leadership skills needed for business by harnessing the power of the horse (I am going to be talking more and more about this) eventually this will lead to becoming qualified to work with people with PTSD and other mental health problems and this will be my bigger impact.
So there you go.
No it's not to become a millionaire by 40 or live a jet-set lifestyle, it's not to become famous or have millions of followers (it's very much ok if that is what you want though) I have worked out exactly what makes me happy and how I want my life to make me feel. I worked out what will give me fulfilment and who I want to help and I know what my impact will be.
Knowing all of the above gives me a destination and now I can make the plan on how to get there. I also know the journey is going to be just as amazing.
The best bit is though is that once I wrote it down I realised that many elements of the end goal I am already living now.
Have a great afternoon.
Ami xx
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