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Success Raised You—Significance is Calling
Part 1: Success and Significance: The Siblings at the Center of a Life Well Lived
This month, I’m sharing a five-part series exploring what happens when success stops feeling like enough, and something deeper begins to call.
If you’re someone who’s achieved a lot—and yet you’re starting to ask what now? or what for?—this is for you.
Each week, we’ll explore a different facet of the evolving relationship between Success and Significance—how they show up, how they push against each other, and how they might begin to work together.
At the end of each note, I’ll offer a small reflection or prompt—nothing formal, just something to think about as you consider your own relationship to both.
Let’s begin.
You’ve built something. Many things, actually.
And for a long time, the formula worked: show up, deliver, grow, repeat.
But lately?
That same formula feels a little… thin.
You’re not broken. You’re not lost.
You’re evolving.
This is a story for those who are waking up to that shift—the one where ambition matures into something deeper.
Success and Significance.
At first glance, they look like cousins. Maybe close friends.
But I’ve come to think of them as siblings.
Success is the older one—flashy, charismatic, competitive.
They want to win. They need to be seen.
They know how to pitch, scale, impress.
They show up early, stay late, collect the accolades, and work the room like a pro.
They’ve got presence. Swagger. A little ego, sure—but they get things done.
They’re also the one who got all the charts on the wall.
The milestone books. The play-by-play development notes.
Success was raised inside systems that thrive on measurement.
Grades. Points. GPAs. Letters on jackets. Honors cords and Ivy Leagues.
Tassels turned, titles earned.
Fit the mold. Climb the ladder. Play the part.
And truthfully? It worked.
That path built things. Created opportunity.
Gave many of us a chance to grow, contribute, make a mark.
But then there’s the younger sibling: Significance.
They were raised with less structure.
Fewer gold stars.
A little more room to breathe.
Significance is quieter.
Less concerned with milestones, more curious about meaning.
They’re not chasing applause—they’re asking deeper questions.
They notice what gets lost in the noise.
They ask:
- Does this matter?
- Is it mine?
- Is there a different way?
And here’s what I’ve noticed about the clients I work with:
They’ve spent decades partnered with Success.
They’ve played the game—and played it well.
They’ve built. Led. Achieved. Checked all the boxes.
But eventually, something shifts.
Maybe it’s midlife.
Maybe it’s after a big win that doesn’t land quite right.
Maybe it’s just the whisper of fatigue after years of doing everything “right.”
And suddenly—quietly—Success starts to feel incomplete.
That’s when Significance starts to stir.
And those whispers?
They aren’t about doing more.
They’re about doing differently.
They nudge us to expand our metrics:
Not just revenue or reach, but connection. Wholeness. Integrity.
They push us to consider our relationships, our values, our presence.
They invite us to stop outsourcing our worth to systems that never really knew us.
And that’s where the real work begins.
Not to fire Success.
But to bring Significance to the table.
To let them collaborate on what comes next.
If you’re feeling restless…
If you’re craving something more whole, more human, more true…
You’re not broken.
You’re not lost.
You’re simply evolving.
You’re learning to listen to the sibling who was always there.
And they might just change everything.
A Moment for Significance
Set a timer for 5–10 minutes. No distractions. No performance—just honest reflection.
Ask yourself:
- What part of me has been leading for years?
What strategies, traits, or defaults have driven my decisions and defined my leadership? - What part of me is ready to lead now?
What’s emerging that might offer a different kind of strength, alignment, or clarity? - If I were designing a life of significance—not just success—what would it look like now?
Not the version I was taught to want. The version I actually want to live.
Write it down. No editing. No optimizing. Just notice what comes up.
Because Significance doesn’t shout.
But if you pause and listen, it usually has something important to say.
Love + Both Siblings,
Jen
PS- You don’t have to abandon everything you’ve built. But you might be called to build differently now.
This is the work I do with visionary leaders who are ready to recalibrate their ambition, reconnect with their values, and lead from a more integrated place.
If you’re craving a deeper kind of success—one that includes meaning, impact, and inner congruence— Let’s talk.
Because Significance isn’t the end of achievement. It’s what gives it soul.
Jen Karofsky | Thought Partner & Coach for Visionary Leaders & Significance Seekers
Jen Karofsky collaborates with leaders who are ready to disrupt the status quo and craft a life of legacy, deep connection, and purposeful impact. Through intentional coaching and bold thought partnership, Jen helps you align your work, your values, and your vision to create transformational change in your world.
Join The Significance Project to redefine success and step into your power.
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