Redefining the definition of happiness: embracing a life beyond success

How shifting priorities and embracing uncertainty transformed my view of true happiness.

What does happiness mean to you? Is it the picture-perfect life we often see on social media, where success seems effortless and money and status appear to solve everything? For a long time, I thought that was the formula for happiness. I believed that if I could achieve success, financial freedom, and career milestones, happiness would follow. But as I took a step back and embraced a new lifestyle, I realized that happiness isn’t something that can be measured by external achievements. It’s something much deeper, and it's shaped by how you connect with yourself and others.

When success defined my happiness

My definition of happiness changed when I decided to turn my life upside down. I chose Spain, uncertainty, and the digital nomad lifestyle. My earlier definition was rooted in building a career, achieving success, and proving myself, not just to me but also to those around me. I believed I had what it took to be successful. Money played a major role in this belief. It represented security, freedom, and ease. It was a condition for happiness because, growing up, money wasn't always a given. Sometimes there wasn't enough, and that scarcity created stress and worry.

Happiness is not defined by what you achieve, but by how deeply you connect with yourself and the world around you.

The shift: embracing uncertainty and distance

But everything shifted when the noise around me faded. When I took the leap and moved to Spain with my partner, the distractions disappeared. The opinions of others became more distant, literally and figuratively. That distance confronted me with myself. And the quiet brought questions to the surface, questions that had long been buried beneath the busyness of everyday life.

Creating a new normal

What was once 'normal', days packed from morning to evening, constantly working, always moving to the next thing, began to fall away. To-do lists were my measure of productivity. Money was spent on clothes and makeup, purchases that seemed to validate the effort I was putting into my career and life. But that normal faded. I began to create a 'new normal,' which proved to be a challenge after years of living and thinking a certain way.

Who defines what is 'normal' or what happiness means? Is it shaped by the upbringing we've had, the routines we follow, or the culture we've grown up in? These are the questions that began to surface as I slowly stepped away from old habits.

What is your definition of happiness?

Happiness means something different for everyone. For me, happiness is found in feeling calm and at peace within myself. It is about acknowledging all parts of who I am, embracing every facet of my past without hiding from it, and moving forward in the present. It’s about feeling connected, truly and deeply, to myself.

Happiness is having time and the freedom to be with the people I care about. It's about experiencing real connection, not surface-level interactions. That is what makes life meaningful to me.

Success, money, status, they offer external validation. But what matters more is recognizing and loving yourself, believing you are worthy, without needing others to confirm it. When you live and create from that place of inner calm, you no longer seek validation from the outside world. You feel grounded.

My goal for 2025: living grounded

The most important goal I have set for myself in 2025 is to be grounded. To let go of the past, to experience inner peace, and to build and create from that solid foundation. Not for anyone else, but purely for myself.

What is your definition of happiness? Have you inherited your definition of happiness from childhood, habits, or society? Or is it truly your own definition? What would it take to redefine it for yourself?