DiscoverMessy & Magnificent with Karlee FainPutting the Self in Success: How to shape your goals around what gives you joy and meaning.
Putting the Self in Success: How to shape your goals around what gives you joy and meaning.

Putting the Self in Success: How to shape your goals around what gives you joy and meaning.

Update: 2025-09-07
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As the air shifts and the year leans toward its close, it’s easy to get swept up in the rush. New strategies, fresh pivots, the endless push for “more.” But what if the most powerful move isn’t chasing something new, but noticing what’s already working and leaning into that?

This is the season to reconnect with your own definition of success. Not the one shaped by other people’s expectations, but the one rooted in what truly nourishes you.

Real, meaningful success depends on your reference point. 

Our goals have to be shaped around what we value in and for ourselves, rather than what others value in and about us. 

If you’re calibrating your goals based on the preferences, priorities, and needs of others over what you know to be true for you, then YOU aren’t the reference point. 

And that’s gotta change. 

In this episode, Karlee revisits one of our most-loved episodes about the difference between self-referencing a goal versus other-referencing a goal. She explains why the distinction matters if you want to feel less like you’re chasing and more like you’re coming home to yourself.

You’ll hear stories of leaders redefining success in real time, lessons from a beloved grandmother’s enduring optimism, and a simple practice that will help you identify what’s most life-giving for you right now. You’ll be reminded that you already hold the wisdom, clarity, and resources to create goals that align with your joy and meaning. All that’s left is to pause, listen inward, and give yourself permission to honor what matters most.

If you’re ready to lead your values at the forefront, then this episode is for you. 


What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

  • (9:39 ) Why progress without definition can feel like a moving target 
  • (12:57 ) The difference between self-referenced and other-referenced goals 
  • (15:10 ) A candid story of redefining success at a pivotal life moment
  • (18:37 ) The 3 W’s that reveal your values 
  • (25:29 ) How to incorporate what you value into your plans and daily life


People Mentioned in this Episode:

Jen Delos Reyes 

Nancy Levin


Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

Episode 113: Building a Stronger Basket: How to plug up the leaks of what’s draining you and preserve more energy for the things you value.


Connect With Karlee: 

Website

LinkedIn

Instagram


Messy and Magnificent is produced by the folx at
Ginni Media.

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Putting the Self in Success: How to shape your goals around what gives you joy and meaning.

Putting the Self in Success: How to shape your goals around what gives you joy and meaning.

Karlee Fain