Shifting attitudes to success

As we emerged from the pandemic, many of us stopped to ask ourselves big questions, says Claire Warner, founder of workplace culture and wellbeing consultancy Lift. “What do we really want to be when we grow up?” And more importantly: “How do we want to live?”

Real success, some began to believe, wasn’t necessarily about the job listed on our LinkedIn profile; it was rooted in feeling fulfilled. “We wanted to see some of the changes made out of necessity from the pandemic hang around in the new normal that was promised,” Warner adds. But where does that leave our definition of success as we head into a new year?

In recent months, the landscape has become much more complex, experts say. “I would categorically say that 2022 was the year of two halves,” says Rachel Gilbert, franchisee for the Women in Business Network for South Essex and Bishop’s Stortford. “So much changed in the second half, which people didn’t see coming.”

From seeking purpose to just paying the bills: how will we define success in 2023?