#004 Three Questions to Define What Success Looks Like Now

My Fortune 50 Life Pivot Story

A little over two years ago, I made a dramatic life pivot from a Fortune 50 executive to an unknown path. I had my career goals and plans laid out. I caught myself mid-sprint and realized something unsettling: I was racing toward a life I no longer wanted.

The goals were still mine. The drive was intact. But somewhere along the way, my vision had expired, while my ambition continued to run on autopilot.

This wasn't just burnout talking. This was clarity knocking.

What followed was part pivot and part reinvention. I wish I could say that it was a strategic recalibration, but in reality, it was messy and hard. I was able to get through it by asking myself these three questions. It changed everything, and I hope they can do the same for you.

3 Life-Changing Questions for Career Alignment

1. What matters most to me in this season?

This question has become my North Star filter. Not what mattered when I was climbing the ladder five years ago. Not what looks impressive on my LinkedIn headline. Not even through the lens of being a wife and a mom. I needed to start with a clean slate, unfiltered.

What aligns with who I am right now?

Your priorities have evolved. Your life has layers it didn't have before. If your goals haven't kept pace with your personal growth, that's the friction you're feeling. It's not a coincidence.

2. What do I want more of—and what am I done tolerating?

This is where you get honest about your energy portfolio.

What fills your tank versus what quietly drains it? Where have you been making space for mediocrity out of habit rather than intention? What areas, people, or habits have you allowed to occupy your time without examination? Who or what is getting most of your attention, especially outside of work?

You've earned the right to be selective. You've proven yourself enough times. Now it's time to design a life and career that energizes you rather than depletes you.

3. If I stopped proving and started designing, what would change?

Here's the question that cuts through years of conditioning.

Too many brilliant people are trapped in invisible cycles: waiting to be chosen, endorsed, or validated by systems that were never built with us in mind.

But what if you flipped the script?

What if instead of trying to fit into rooms that feel like they don't fit, you started designing spaces where your expertise is the foundation, not an afterthought?

That's where real influence begins. That's where sustainable success lives.

Your Weekly Catalyst: Because small, intentional moves create exponential change.

Bold Move: Stop waiting for permission to redesign your success metrics. This week, identify one goal or commitment you're pursuing out of habit rather than intention. Either recommit with renewed purpose or release it entirely.

Mindset Shift: Your past achievements earned you the right to be selective about your future ones. You're not starting over—you're leveling up with wisdom.

Actionable Step: Block 15 minutes this week. Write down your honest answers to these three questions. No overthinking, no perfect phrasing. Just raw truth. Then choose one aligned action to take before next Friday.

Because alignment creates momentum. And intentional moves? That's what makes change last.

Cheers to your next level,

LCJ

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