Why We Need a New Way to Measure Success (and How to Create Your Own)
What Does Success Really Mean to You?
I used to think success meant checking off the right boxes: landing the dream job, hitting the right salary, getting the recognition. If I could just achieve all the “right” things, I figured I’d finally feel fulfilled.
But even when I hit those goals, something still felt off. Like I was chasing a moving target. No matter how successful I was, I never felt like I was enough.
As it turns out, the way I was measuring success was all wrong. It was based on external validation. Other people told me how to be and I worked so hard to meet those standards. But none of it was who I actually was or what truly mattered to me.
So it’s no wonder I never felt like I had really made it. Where I was striving so hard to be wasn’t where I wanted to go.
So what if we flipped the script?
What if success wasn’t about what we accomplish, but about who we’re becoming? What if we focus less on where we’re going and more on how we’re getting there?
Why the Old-School Success Metrics Just Don’t Work
We’ve all been there: you hit a big milestone, and within seconds - before you even get a chance to enjoy or celebrate it, your brain is already asking, What’s next? It’s exhausting.
Here’s why traditional success metrics fall short:
The goalpost keeps moving. You reach one thing, and suddenly there’s something else to chase. Satisfaction never lasts.
It’s built on comparison. If success depends on being “better” than someone else, you’ll always find someone ahead of you.
It ignores internal fulfillment. You can accomplish a ton and still feel disconnected from yourself.
Bottom line: success shouldn’t be about checking arbitrary boxes - it should be about living in alignment with who you want to be.
Introducing: The YouBrik framework
This is where YouBrik comes in.
YouBrik is a personal success framework that helps you define success on your own terms. It shifts your focus from chasing external validation to tracking personal growth and alignment with your values. You build a rubric to measure your success based on the values you want to embody and how authentically you live those values.
Instead of asking, Did I hit the milestone?, YouBrik helps you ask, Am I becoming the version of myself I actually want to be?
How It Works:
1. Choose one personal trait you want to grow in (confidence, discipline, creativity - you pick).
2. Define what success looks like at five levels - from struggling to thriving.
3. Track your growth over time, based on how you feel and who you’re becoming - not just what you’re achieving.
How to Build Your Own YouBrik
Ready to stop measuring success by someone else’s checklist? Here’s how to get started:
Pick a Trait That Matters to You
What do you want to grow in? Confidence? Joy? Patience? Start with just one trait.
Define Your Success Scale
What does that trait look like when you’re just beginning? What does it look like when you’re thriving?
Check In With Yourself
Forget waiting for the world to tell you you’re successful. Track your progress in a way that’s personal, empowering, and meaningful.
Want Help Creating Your YouBrik?
I made a free Mini YouBrik Guide to walk you through it step by step. You’ll learn how to choose your trait, build your scale, and start tracking growth in a way that actually feels good.
Let’s Redefine Success - Together
You don’t need to do more or be more to be worthy. You just need to define what success means for you - and start measuring the things that matter.
The old way of doing things? That’s done.
Let’s build a new one - brick by brick.