Redefining Success

I feel like I might have been duped.

When my husband and I entered the online business world back in 2019, we were hooked immediately. We loved marketing, entrepreneurship, the creativity of building something from nothing. And we met a lot of people who were “successful” by every measurable standard.

But honestly?
A lot of it eventually broke my heart.

I came in naïve, hopeful, thinking these are my people — this is finally where we fit.
But the deeper we went, the more I realized the same cultural pressures I had run from were waiting for me here too… just dressed up in entrepreneur language.

Yes, there are amazing people in this space.
Yes, there is meaningful work here.
But somewhere along the way, I got caught in a race I didn’t even realize I was running.

And I started to believe lies like:

• Wealth proves your worth.

• Success means visibility and status.

• The more you have, the more valuable you are.

People would tell me, “Money isn’t good or bad — it’s neutral. Success just reveals who you already are.”

And there’s truth there… just not the whole truth.

Because whether you grew up idolizing success
or grew up distrusting it,
whether you chase it
or quietly sabotage it,

you’re still defining success the wrong way.

We’re All Using the Wrong Definition

In America — especially in business circles — success is almost always measured in numbers:

• Revenue

• Profit margins

• Followers

• Subscribers

• Size, scale, visibility

If someone asked you, “Are you successful?”
Your brain probably jumps immediately to the size of your bank account, house, platform, or growth chart. Mine did too.

But what if that entire paradigm is wrong?

What if the debate over whether success is good, bad, or neutral is actually a distraction…
because we're measuring the wrong thing?

Joshua 1:8 Redefines Success Entirely

“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night,
so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.
Then you will be prosperous and successful.”

The word “successful” here comes from the Hebrew root śākal (שָׂכַל).

And it does not mean “achieve, accumulate, or win.”

It means:

• to act wisely

• to have insight

• to make decisions guided by God

• to walk with understanding

In other words…

Biblical success = obedience.

Success = walking the path God put in front of you with wisdom and surrender.

It has almost nothing to do with wealth, scale, or status.

Which means:

Joseph was successful in the palace —
and Joseph was successful in prison.

Moses was successful in the wilderness —
and Moses was successful before Pharaoh.

Success wasn’t about the season.
It was about the obedience within the season.

Once that definition shifts, everything else shifts too.

When Success = Obedience, Here’s What Changes

1. Comparison loses its power.

Your assignment and mine are not the same. Why compare?

2. Wealth stops being a threat or a trophy.

Because provision comes from God, not hustle.

3. Striving becomes unnecessary.

You don’t have to manufacture outcomes God didn’t ask you to achieve.

4. You stop chasing an identity built on performance.

And start living from a covenant identity rooted in belonging.

5. Fear of “not enough” fades.

Because enough is defined by obedience, not results.

And let me be honest —
none of this comes naturally to me.

I grew up believing productivity = value.
I entered business believing results = worth.
I didn’t realize how deeply the world’s definition of success had shaped me.

But God has been gently dismantling that mindset, one piece at a time.

He keeps showing me:

“We focus on outcomes.
God focuses on obedience.”

And when success becomes obedience, something inside you breathes again.

You no longer have to:

• “prove” yourself

• chase the next milestone

• fear failure

• obsess over money

• evaluate your worth through numbers

Instead you ask:

“God, what does obedience look like today?”

That’s it.
Simple, not easy — but simple.

The Real Trap

Whether you idolize wealth
or feel guilty about it,

whether you chase success
or avoid it out of fear,

both are still focused on the wrong thing:

the outcome, not the obedience.

God never asked you to produce a certain result.
He asked you to follow Him.

And when you trust His leadership, you realize:

• Productivity isn’t your value.

• Busyness isn’t your worth.

• Abundance isn’t “approval.”

And lack is not punishment.

You are not measured by metrics.
You are measured by faithfulness.

Redefining Success Frees You

So wherever you are today — thriving, struggling, plateauing, rebuilding, confused — I want you to hear this:

You are not responsible for the outcomes.
You are responsible for obedience.

And honestly?

That takes such a burden off my shoulders.

It reminds me that I am not in charge.
I never have been.

God is —
and He always has been.