8 signs you’re actually a successful person (even if you don’t think so)

Do you ever have days when you feel like nothing’s going according to plan? And then you go on to beat yourself up and feel like a total failure?
We tend to be too hard on ourselves sometimes. And often, we also judge ourselves based on society’s standards of success.
If we go by what society says, we’re failures if we don’t have gazillions in the bank, properties here and there, a number of cars in the garage….
Truth is, success is defined by who you are and the progress you’ve made as a person. You could be the richest person in the world, but if your character leaves much to be desired…would you really be considered successful?
If you find yourself doubting your level of success, it might be because you’re measuring yourself by the wrong standards.
So today, let’s talk about that. Here are 8 signs you’re actually already successful, even if you don’t think so:
1) You no longer make decisions based on income alone
Okay, let’s get money out of the way. It is, after all, a necessary component in terms of quality of life.
In my 30s, I had my own business. It was doing well, and I was quite financially stable.
Yet, I didn’t feel successful at all. I felt like it was an eternal slog and needed to pinch every penny.
I dreamed of—then scrapped—vacations because they were an unnecessary expense, nor did I engage in hobbies that needed extra equipment or supplies. Not only would they entail extra expense, but they won’t make me any money!
I made a lot of decisions solely on the impact they would make on my bank account.
So yes, financially, I had a sense of security.
But everything else in my life? It felt empty.
It was a very one-dimensional life—no wonder I didn’t feel successful.
What I learned was this—success means nothing if you’re always chasing more.
Success means nothing if you lose yourself in the process, success means nothing if you’re empty inside.
These days, my life is more balanced.
I make choices based on what brings me fulfillment rather than just a paycheck.
If you do that as well, it means you’re paying attention to what genuinely matters, and that’s a huge sign of success.
2) Your life is a good balance of work and play
This is closely connected to my previous point.
When we’re hell-bent on achieving success, it’s easy to lose sight of what matters.
Like in my case, it clearly was a very unbalanced life, all work and no play.
I was earning a lot, but I was also missing out on the simple joys and the restorative moments that come from just living.
Research supports this idea; a study published in the journal International Business Review found that individuals who maintain a healthy work-life balance are not only happier but also more productive in their professional lives.
So if you’ve got a healthy work-life balance, it clearly points to the fact that you’re happier and you perform better at work.
Isn’t that enough to consider yourself a success?
3) You no longer care about what other people think
This is one of the external markers of success I was talking about earlier.
We often put too much stock in what other people think, and if they think highly of us, that equates to success.
Not so fast.
The truth is, caring too much about what others think can actually hold you back from true success.
When you’re constantly seeking validation from others, you end up living according to their expectations rather than your own.
What use is success if it doesn’t ring true to your values and desires? I’ve got a word to describe it—hollow.
For me, real success is borne out of authenticity.
I love what inspirational author Alan Cohen said about this, “Everything will line up perfectly when knowing and living the truth becomes more important than looking good.”
Living in a way that feels right to you instead of trying to impress others is the best thing you can do to be successful.
In a world that’s full of pretensions and people-pleasing, this is a huge achievement indeed!
4) You’ve got a grounded perspective in life
Let me ask you a few questions:
- Do you grasp that, in the bigger scheme of things, you’re just a tiny speck in a wide, unfathomable universe?
- Do you understand that some things in life are simply beyond your control?
- Do you understand that failure is just a stepping stone to growth and not a reflection of your worth?
- Are you able to let go of the need to be perfect and instead focus on progress?
- Do you accept that you don’t have all the answers in life?
If you answered yes to these questions, I’m pretty confident in saying you’re already successful, even if you don’t see it that way.
Because it means you have wisdom—in my book, wisdom is an important key to success.
I could even argue that wisdom IS the real success—it’s what will help you stay calm in the face of challenges, make thoughtful decisions, and maintain a sense of inner peace no matter what life throws your way.
Wisdom allows you to see beyond the surface and make meaning in your life.
You just can’t put a price on that.
5) You no longer take everything personally
A natural consequence of having wisdom is that you stop taking everything so personally.
This is something I’ve noticed in myself as I grow older.
When I was younger, I’d take negative comments or criticism as a personal attack. If someone was having a bad day and snapped at me, I’d internalize it and wonder what I did wrong.
But as I’ve grown, I’ve come to realize that most of the time, people’s actions and words have more to do with them than with me.
So when people snap at me, I pause and think first before responding and, more often than not, I’d see that it has nothing to do with me.
Why does this indicate success? Because it indicates emotional resilience, a key ingredient in becoming successful.
Not only that, it also shows that you’ve developed a strong sense of self.
You’re no longer at the mercy of what others think of you.
Consider how many people out there are still struggling with this issue, and you’ll see how successful you already are.
6) You’ve raised your standards
Another sign of success that often goes unnoticed is when you’ve raised your standards.
Think about it—do you still settle for mediocrity? For less than you deserve? Do you still tolerate disrespectful behavior from others?
I always think that the day we learn to say “no” to what no longer serves us is a day that we take a huge step forward in terms of claiming our personal power.
When I was younger, I definitely tolerated a lot of things I shouldn’t have.
I stayed in a relationship with a guy who wasn’t a good match for me.
I stayed in jobs where I stagnated, “I don’t want to rock the boat” was something I often said.
But as I grew older and realized that time isn’t an unlimited resource, I stepped up for myself. I could no longer waste time on people and things that held me back.
And you know what? Just being able to do all of that—assert myself and want better for myself—already brought me a feeling of success.
Everything else that followed added to it. I had better relationships, I felt more at peace, and I felt excited by all the growing I was doing.
That’s what claiming your own power does.
So even if you don’t think you’re successful yet, just the fact that you’re no longer lowering your standards proves otherwise.
7) You have a sense of purpose
In palliative care nurse Bronnie Ware’s book, Top 5 Regrets of the Dying, one of the things that struck me most was how people don’t care about money or accolades at the end of their lives.
And it affirms what psychologists have been saying all along—a sense of purpose is essential to a meaningful life.
We want our lives to have meant something, not just an endless pursuit of a high lifestyle and empty pleasures.
According to Forbes Magazine, purpose is linked to happiness because:
- It focuses you and gives you a reason to wake up in the morning.
- It grounds you and makes you consider what matters in the bigger picture and how your role can make a difference to others.
- It connects you to others and helps you make a contribution that can truly impact their lives.
I’ve met wealthy people who feel lost in life. I’ve also met not-so-wealthy people who feel fulfilled and excited every single day.
I’ll leave it up to you to decide who’s the more successful of the two.
8) You feel a sense of peace
Finally, this is the strongest sign that you’re more successful than you think. For me, this is the clincher, and I regularly use it as a gauge to measure the quality of my life.
Life coach Danielle McKenna says, “Finding your peace of mind means attaining happiness, contentment and bliss no matter how tough things might get. This is by no means depending on a problem-free life, but remaining at peace despite it.”
For me, feeling a sense of peace means I’m doing it right.
My actions and values are in tune.
In fact, even if a decision might take away from my “success” (such as the time I quit a job because it involved making false advertisements to the public), as long as it brings me peace, I know I did the right thing.
And honestly, that peace is priceless.
It’s the kind of success that doesn’t just show up in your bank account or on your resume—it’s the kind that lets you sleep well at night, knowing you’ve stayed true to yourself.
I don’t know about you, but that’s the kind of success that means the most to me.