Success is a funny word.
It shifts with time, with age, with experience. What once looked like climbing a mountain now feels like enjoying a quiet moment at the top of a hill.
There was a time success meant passing my nursing boards and getting my license. Earlier than that? It was learning how to ride my bike through the streets of Brooklyn without falling into a pile of parked cars.
Each version of success served its season. That’s how it works—it grows as we do.
I remember being interviewed for a sorority at Brooklyn College. I sat with two other girls during the final selection round. I was chosen—they were not. When I asked why, I didn’t like the answer. So I declined the invitation and told them I would never join something that excluded others based on arbitrary standards. Two weeks later, that sorority was closed.
That, too, was a kind of success. Not acceptance, but integrity.
These days, success looks very different. Sometimes it’s a heart-to-heart conversation with someone I love. Other times it’s carving out space to create something with a friend—a project that lights us up, teaches us something new. Recently, success was finally figuring out how to use Procreate on my iPad so I could bring color to my black-and-white ink drawings. The image on the Soul Talk Newsletter was one of the first I did on Procreate.
Funny how the small wins can feel like crossing the finish line at a marathon.
Let me tell you what success isn’t:
It isn’t how much money you make. Because no matter how much you have, you can’t take it with you. And these days, with global shifts and even the weather upending lives overnight, we’re all reminded how quickly “more” can turn into “gone.”
🌿 Success, to me, is being present—living moment to moment, aware and engaged.
It’s about learning, growing, and expressing—whether that’s through writing, connecting, painting, or simply listening with an open heart.
So let me ask you:
- Do you believe you're creative?
- Do you trust your logic and common sense?
- Do you blend both to build your days, your decisions, your joys?
If so—congratulations.
That, too, is success.
Truly successful people don’t stay stuck in boredom. If they feel it, they know it’s time to stir the pot, open a window, explore something new.
Creativity and logic are like ingredients in a recipe—one brings flavor, the other structure. Mix them well, and you have a life that nourishes you.
I remember the day I first created a Facebook profile. It was years ago, and honestly, I wasn’t interested. I made it, then walked away. No guilt, no pressure. No “should.” I knew I’d return when the time felt right.
Two years later, I picked it back up. And this time, I stayed.
Learning to navigate social media came with its own little victories—like setting boundaries, hitting the “Report” button when necessary, saying no to things I didn’t want to see, and choosing what I did. I’ve done the same with Instagram, Zoom, podcasts, YouTube interviews, and more.
I used to travel monthly for work and pleasure, and now? I find joy in staying grounded at home, connecting with the world through screens and stories. That’s a different kind of success—and a deeply satisfying one.
I’ve joined author groups filled with kind, smart, spiritually focused people: writers, coaches, creatives. We share ideas and learn from each other. We create friendships across continents. And every time I meet someone new who inspires me, it feels like the universe has just handed me another gem.
My newest adventure is a rough draft of a mystery novel. Will I finish it? Maybe. Maybe not. But that’s not the point. The joy is in the journey—the discovery, not the destination.
So now I turn it over to you:
What does success look like for you today—not yesterday, not someday, but now?
What new thing have you tried that excites you or raises your frequency?
What have you learned, created, or explored that made you feel truly alive?
I’d love to hear about it.
💬 Reply and tell me—what’s your recipe for success these days? I’d love to know.
With warmth and curiosity,
Nancy Weber
Author, Artist, Seeker
