I was “successful.”

I had everything I thought I needed to meet the definition of success: I had a thriving career as a partner in a law firm, I had built a high net worth, I had the house and material possessions, and everything I had been led to expect should result in a satisfying and enjoyable life.

But I was stressed out. Almost all the time.

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Under the facade of the success I was having, the combined demands of my career, the stress of several illnesses and deaths in my family, and my related family responsibilities were creating undiminishing pressure, leading me to acquire symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder. Eventually, I was also diagnosed with a chronic lung infection which cut into my physical energy, limiting the amount of work I could accomplish in a day. Medicine wasn’t helping, and I felt emotionally depleted by the end of each day. I was afraid of how colleagues and clients might judge me if they found out how I was feeling physically and emotionally. I felt like everyday I was waking up to push the same boulder up the same hill, and getting nowhere.

I was stuck.

So I decided I needed to make some significant changes to my life if I wanted to avoid spending the rest of my life feeling successful but unsatisfied.

I started with making some changes to how I was working, and my mindset around what a successful career looked like. I discovered new ways to take care of myself, both physically and emotionally, and invested in letting go of hurtful mindsets from my past that were holding me back. I studied from the masters of personal development, started paying more attention to mindful self-awareness, and carefully rewrote the narratives I was telling myself about what I was capable of doing, having and becoming.

I’ve discovered that success, and quality of life, have two aspects: the outer and the inner. Developing the inner quality of my life allows me to more fully enjoy the material quality of life that outer success brings. I have never stopped wanting success, but now I have a broader definition of success, and I create it with limited stress.

For the past number of years, removing the stress and anxiety from success is what I have been teaching others to do. Whether coaching one-on-one or teaching to groups, I have seen the impact removing the stress and anxiety from the pursuit of success can have on an individual.

If you are succeeding in many areas of your life, but struggling to balance it with satisfaction, I would love to help you too.