For years, I chased the traditional definition of success-goals, checklists, a busy calendar, and always trying to make my home the best it could be on a shoe string budget so we didn’t look so poor. But beneath the surface of my productivity, I felt unfulfilled because I felt I wasn’t where I’d dreamed I’d be and I didn’t know how to make it better. I was exhausted, stressed about making ends meet, disconnected, angry, and constantly wondering:
What does it take to have a successful life? This can’t be all there is!
As a homemaker, I’ve come to realize that real success isn’t about accomplishments-it’s about alignment. It’s about living a life that reflects your values, brings you peace, and supports genuine connection. Here’s how I’m learning to redefine success and embrace a more meaningful, simple way of living.
1. True Success Isn’t About Productivity or Performance
Modern society glorifies busyness. We are taught to measure our value by how much we get done, how fast we move, and by how many goals we achieve and of course how much we have.
But productivity, performance, and constant striving don’t always lead to happiness or contentment.
Real success. I’m learning. often looks like a slower pace-with intentional routines and time for rest. (I know what your thinking, how dare you take a break! Get back to work slave!) It means making space for reflection, creativity, and peace of mind-not just tasks and to -do-lists and getting the bills paid.
2. Constant Connectivity Isn’t the Same as True Community
Social media and digital devices give us the illusion of connection, but many of us feel more isolated than ever.
Real success includes deep, meaningful relationships-face-to-face time with family, heartfelt conversations, and investing in people who truly matter.
Instead of surface-level interaction, we need rooted relationships, trust, and community. For me, success means building a home that nurtures love, hospitality, and a place you can shut out the noise of the world and be yourself.
3. Silence Isn’t Emptiness-It’s Self-Awareness
When we stop rushing and allow stillness, something amazing happens: we can hear our own thoughts. Who we want to be. The values, morals and principles we want to live by, not what society dictates.
Without the noise of comparison and constant input, we reconnect with ourselves, and our true identity.
Success is no longer about impressing others or meeting expectations. It becomes about authenticity-being who I truly am and being truly who YOU are, not how society says you should fit into this world.
I’ve found that inner reflection, prayer, and solitude bring clarity and freedom.
4. True Success Lives In the Present Moment
So often, we believe joy and success are things we’ll reach someday-when life is easier, when the kids are grown ,or when we finally have that dream job and a 1 million gazillion dollar salary.
But constantly waiting robs us of today.
Simple Living has taught me to find joy in the present-a warm meal, sunlight streaming through my windows, laughter around the table. Learning to live in the moment is not easy, I’m still practicing daily. But if you can master this skill, even if only a few minutes a day, peace will find you.
Life isn’t perfect, but it is full of beauty when we pause to notice it.
The Great Deception of Modern Success
Sometimes we don’t realize how scripted our lives have become until we stop.
There’s a video I watched on YouTube called, “The Great Deception of Modern Society About Success” and it really opened my eyes to the fact that a lot of my life is filled by mindless routines and subtle pressures. Wake up, scroll, hustle, repeat. On the outside, everything looked “fine”-but inside, something was missing.
The video suggests that we’re not living freely-we’re functioning within systems designed for comfort and control.
We’re fed a script: go to school, get a job, buy things, stay busy, distract yourself, and retire. if you’re lucky to do so. And yet, we rarely stop to ask:
Is this really living?
Or are we just performing a version of life that someone else wrote for us?
True success, the video reminds us, isn’t found in what we consume or how much we accomplish. It’s about awareness. It’s about waking up to from the routines we’ve been numbed by.
Real freedom starts in the quiet-when we unplug long enough to feel the ache of longing and hear the small voice inside that says, “There’s more to life than this.”
That message deeply resonated with me as a homemaker. It reminded me that stepping off the hamster wheel isn’t failure-it’s an act of courage.
Choosing to live simply, intentionally, and with heart is a rebellion in a world built for distraction.
You’re Not a Failure-You’re Just Becoming Someone Different
If you’re reading this and thinking, “I didn’t become who I though I’d be…..” You’re not alone.
Maybe you didn’t reach the dream you had in your 20s. Maybe your plans changed, or life threw things at you that no one could have prepared for. Maybe you’re looking around at your life and quietly wondering: “Did I miss it? Did I waste it?”
You didn’t.
You didn’t fail. You evolved.
Most of us grow up with an idea of success shaped by other people-our culture, our families, our peers. But now, many of us are waking up to the idea that true success is much more quiet-and much more real.
It’s resilience. It’s showing up again, even when no one claps. It’s rebuilding your life with gentleness and wisdom.
Simple Living Doesn’t Mean Giving Up-It Means Creating With Purpose
Sometimes when people hear “live simply,” they think it means giving up on our dreams or ambition.
But that’s not what I mean at all.
Simple living isn’t about doing nothing. It’s about doing the right things-on purpose, with peace.
You can still build the business, write the book, launch the idea. The shift is in how-and why-you do it.
Stop Chasing Passion-Start Serving with Purpose
We’ve all heard the advice: “Follow your Passion.” But what if you’re not sure what that is? That kind of advice can feel more like pressure than freedom.
So here’s another way to look at it:
Don’t chase passion. Chase where your gifts solve a problem.
Ask yourself:
- What do I do naturally?
- What do people thank me for?
- What skill or effort of mine could make someone else’s life better?
That’s where purpose lives-not just in excitement, but in usefulness.
You don’t need a grand plan. Just look for where your everyday effort meets someone else’s need.
That’s where your work starts to matter.
Redefining Success: A Simple Life with Deeper Meaning
Success doesn’t have to mean wealth, recognition, or perfection. For me, it now means contentment, letting go of perfectionism, integrity, peace, and purpose.
You’re not failing by slowing down. You’re rising-on your own terms.
From My Hearth to Yours,
Becky♥️
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