It's interesting to reflect on where words like "success" "confidence" & "power" come from.
They can feel like the backbone of our ability to step out into the world, step forward and step up. But they also create inherent benchmarks.
A benchmark is set as soon as we decide the criteria for success or failure, a good result or a bad result.
But existing in the world, being a creative person, building a business, all of the things we have to do within these categories are big, complex dreams with an unlimited amount of options within them.
Benchmarking appropriately is therefore not so simple.
So why do we use such binary ideas to dictate the actions we take?
The notion of "success" is a construct; it only exists because we decide what is a success and what is a failure. Ultimately, this idea serves no real purpose to humans (to shady marketers who wish to sell you things to cure your failures, it's a different story).
Where does our individual power come from?
Where does the feeling of success come from?
Where does confidence in ourselves, our abilities and our work come from?
It comes from an intrinsic sense that we are valued. Therefore, our work simply has to have meaning. We have to know the value we create, and for whom, and there needs to be a fair and satisfying value exchange between all parties.
If we can understand the value of our work, to ourselves as well as to others, and understand what someone else is willing to exchange for that value, then we have everything we need to give ourselves permission to continue doing what we do.
Next time you want to reflect on your successes, failures...
Next time you seek validation or you question your confidence...
Next time you reflect on your worth, your pathway or you let doubt creep in...
...come back to the question of value again, recognise it, appreciate it, understand it, change it if you must, but know that everything you do here must be valuable to you and valuable to someone else.
What if that was all that mattered?