There is a version of success that photographs beautifully. It has the title, the house, the promotion, the followers, the impressive bio, the awards, the invitations, the vacations, the busy calendar, the perfectly staged announcement, and all the other visible signs that tell the world, “Look. I’m doing well.” And maybe you are. But maybe you’re exhausted. Maybe you don’t like what you do anymore. Maybe you’ve become so busy maintaining everything you’ve built that you rare

We talk about success as though it moves in one direction. Forward. Up. Bigger. Better. More. We set the goal, do the work, stay focused, and eventually arrive at the result we hoped for. It makes for a great story, particularly after someone has already succeeded and can look backward and connect all the dots. Real life is rarely that tidy. Sometimes you do everything you thought you were supposed to do and it still doesn't work. You prepare for the interview and don't get t

Success has a very public side. We see the announcement, promotion, award, bestselling book, successful business, finished project, new client, packed event, championship, graduation, or person standing on a stage accepting recognition for something they accomplished. We see the result because results are easy to see. What we don't usually see is everything that happened when nobody was watching. We don't see the person practicing before anyone knew their name. We don't see t

There is something we learn very early in life that can quietly follow us well into adulthood: wait to be chosen. We wait to be picked for the team, chosen for the part, accepted into the school, invited to the party, selected for the position, or recognized for something we've done. As adults, the circumstances change, but the behavior doesn't always change with them. We wait to be offered the promotion, asked to speak, invited onto the show, signed by the publisher, selecte

Here are five success tips I think Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have taught us.