My dear reader,

Yesterday we hiked 12km at Durdle Door, a breathtaking World Heritage Site in Dorset, here in the UK.

Ocean breeze tangled my hair, salt lingered on my lips, my feet crunched against the rocky beach. Out there, I felt present.

Nature does that for me: it holds me and reminds me of peace.

On the drive back, we were playing with conversation cards from the Diary of a CEO, and one question stopped me in my tracks:

✨ What is your definition of success? ✨

If we turn to the dictionaries, success is defined in these ways:

• Oxford English Dictionary: “the achievement of a desired result or outcome; the accomplishment of an aim or purpose.”

• Merriam-Webster: “a favorable or desired outcome; also: the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence.”

• Cambridge Dictionary: “the achieving of the results wanted or hoped for.”

In essence, success is the outcome you want in life.

Yet, when we think of success, we’ve been fed the narrative that wealth, numbers, and titles are what count.

There’s the external proof of success: boxes ticked — a good job, a bank balance, or even to get into a relationship, having children, buying a home. Society often makes us feel that to be “successful” we must achieve certain things.

However, we all need to decide what success is for us and what we want to achieve.

So, let’s pause again.

💭 What is YOUR definition of success?

If you were to write it in your own words, from the truth of who you are — what would it be? I encourage you to sit with this, maybe even journal on it.

For me, success is about heartfulness and peace. You know the saying: “If it costs you your peace, it’s too expensive.”

Don’t get me wrong, just a few years ago, my definition would have been tied more to numbers, growth, and external validation. But today, when I find peace and live heartfully — that’s it. That’s success.

That was me hiking on these cliffs yesterday with someone I care about. Making memories. Being present. Doing something that we love: hiking and being in nature.

For me, heartfulness and peace are like the North Stars of success that I can assess. “Does this relationship or a job add to my peace or take away from it? Does this make me feel more or less heartful?”

We reflected on another question from Dr. Rangan Chatterjee, which deepened this reflection on success:

This question brings it all down to what truly matters. What you value in life.

When you define what success means to you, it also really shows you what you truly value.

This question gently asks us to reflect on legacy, meaning, and what will still hold value when everything else falls away. When you’re at the end of your life, what achievements would really have made you feel that “yeah, I’ve lived a life worth living.”

Then, it comes down to you just taking action and making choices to get closer to that reality.

And you can start now by getting clear on your answers:
👉 What is your definition of success?
👉 What are the three things you want to achieve by your deathbed?
👉 And are you living them, even in small ways, each week?

When you get clear on these, you begin to align your weekly actions with what really matters. A successful life can take many forms — as long as it’s lived from the heart, not from external expectations.

Please reply to this email and let me know your thoughts. I always love to hear your reflections.

Heartfully,
Essi

PS: If you’d like support in reflecting on what success means for you and creating a life aligned with it, book a connection call with me. Coaching is a powerful space to explore these questions and design the life you truly want.