We are constantly striving for perfection - bigger, better, more. But how much is enough? Do you feel successful and what is your definition of success? In this article, Rimi shares her story of how she re-defined her metrics of success.
A typical day in the life of a mindful business leader:
Get a full 8 hours of sleep a night
Harvest ripe fruit from the trees and pick greens from the earth
Eat three wholesome meals a day (none of which are in front of a screen or in a to-go container)
Meditate and journal and practice yoga once a day
Spend more time outside in nature than inside
Live your soul’s purpose
Does that sound like any of the successful business owners you know?
Well, it’s MY life.
What if I told you I am making 1/10th of what I made in my high flying corporate job five years ago?
I am grateful for my past life as a corporate exec. It enabled me to save and invest so I could live my soul’s purpose and run a lodge and retreat center in the Azores islands. Many of us spend our entire lives saving up for retirement, or maybe we have plans to do something big.
But somehow we forget what we are striving for. We simply strive for more, bigger, better. But how much is enough?
Do you feel successful? What is your definition of success?
I now understand there are many definitions of success and mine is not just about profit margin and growth.
My definition of success
Get 7-8 hours of sleep per night. There is a plethora of research on this and if you are not getting enough sleep (and no you are not one of those people that only needs 5-6 hours) then WAKE UP!
Eat three wholesome meals a day, none of which are in front of a screen. We need to be relaxed in order to digest and absorb nutrients to fuel our body and mind. If you are stimulating yourself while eating by looking at your phone, watching TV, or driving, you are unable to properly absorb the food you are eating.
Have a good poop at least once a day. Your digestion is the first to go when you are under chronic stress and stimulation. You need to be relaxed for your body to digest and absorb nutrients, and also function properly to eliminate waste. If you are not pooping once a day, look at where you are overstressed and overstimulated. It’s not just about what you eat.
Connect daily to my soul. I start each day with some form of “daily connection”. This can be meditation or yoga, singing, Bollywood dancing (yep!), or just breathing. How do you know who you are and where you are called to be if you don’t connect with yourself, and on a regular basis?
Spend more time doing what I love and want to do vs. what I have to do. Are you in charge of your life or are you constantly reacting to demands placed on you? I choose where I exert my energy and time. You can’t be all things to all people so choose wisely. This has in turn given me more time to focus on my soul’s purpose.
Directly impact the wellbeing of my community. When I’m successful it means our team and partners succeed, which leads to another exponential set of good things happening. Success breeds success, who does your success directly impact?
Run a profitable business that enables me to do all of the above. And yes we run a profitable business.
Take time and define your definition of success, after all, life is too short to be living up to other people's expectations. Make sure you know what yours are and design your life around what matters to YOU!
About the author
Rimi is a mindful leader, connecting high-performing companies and individuals to purpose. As a former management consultant and trained in various modalities of yoga, energy healing, and mindfulness, Rimi's mission is to provide tools, teachings, and experiences that elevate global consciousness.
Rimi has an M.B.A. from MIT Sloan School of Management and an engineering degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Rimi has completed various teacher training and certifications in Forrest Yoga, Yin Yoga, Reiki, Energy Medicine, and Yoga for Trauma. This world-class education and training enable her to communicate the important message of connecting leaders to purpose in a world that needs our best and brightest to be using our talents for good.
Rimi is the co-founder of a retreat + learning center in the Azores, Portugal, and runs various leadership retreats + training live and online throughout the year. You can join Rimi's upcoming online women's leadership program at www.rootsilience.com.