Soul Matters – February 2024

FOR BEING SO COLD AND BLEAK, February is a pretty darned happy month. There’s the lunar new year with its celebration of new beginnings and opportunities for success, and Valentine’s Day, stirring thoughts of the heart (it also stirs groundhogs, but I’d like to focus on the heart; if you love groundhogs, then it all works). Together, it has me thinking about the heart of success.

Normally, success is defined in terms of money, title, and celebrity; certainly our media pounds that definition home. Money is the currency of our culture, it’s true; but success based upon fame and fortune is not all it’s cracked up to be. On any given day we hear stories about some celebrity who’s divorcing, in rehab, arrested, or in some way gone over the edge. Money is to success what potato chips are to food—it tastes really good, but leaves you feeling vaguely unsatisfied and wishing you’d gone for the turkey sandwich. Clearly, success has to be rooted in something more.

That “something more” lies with the heart. True success is defined by who you are, not what you have. It’s not based on bank accounts or Instagram followers, but on values essential to the human spirit—joy, peace, purpose, meaning, and connection. The heart of success is connecting with your spirit and sharing that aliveness with the world.

Case in point: My brother was a successful, big-city attorney for two decades. He had the money, the corner office, and all the trappings (interesting word, that), but his work lacked connection to his heart and gave him no joy. Instead, it gave him constant stress and anxiety that ultimately put him in the E.R. with heart palpitations.

So, in the middle of his successful career, my brother listened to his heart and bravely chose joy. He became a master arborist, aesthetic pruner (the kind that shapes those gorgeous maple trees in Japanese gardens), and college instructor. His work brings him happiness every single day. (And he can get $800 a tree to boot. Who knew?)

The only true success is having the courage to follow your heart. It takes courage to buck the system and challenge cultural convention, but know this—when you connect with your heart you will find success—the kind that satisfies—the kind that imbues your life with vibrancy and meaning—the kind that fills your life with abundance on all levels.

My advice for 2024? Leave the chips and go for the turkey san. You won’t regret it.

KATE INGRAM, MA, CSBC, is a certified coach, counselor, award-winning author and lover of groundhogs. Discover more at kintsugicoaching.com.