For Lydia, making her parents proud through her academic performance is a marker of success. Growing up “poor”, has meant that Lydia places more value in the “small things”, but this also makes her feel pressured to change her family’s story. Lydia says her ideal day involves a balance of communal and personal time – boundaries are important to her. We spoke about Lydia’s journey of prioritising her needs, as she revealed that her inability to do so in the past, forms her greatest failure. For Lydia, a strong sense of identity is important, as she believes that when you know yourself, you will refrain from trying to prove who you are and your successes to others.
Listen to the full conversation below
0:00 – 1:40 On upbringing
1:40 – 2:58 On finding own definition of success
2:58 – 7:44 On university experience (impact on success)
7:44 – 9:04 On neglecting present needs
9:04 – 11:21 On self-care
11:21 – 13:43 On ideal life
13:43 – 16:12 On money
16:12 – 17:38 On greatest success
17:38 – 20:15 On greatest failure
20:15 – 21:23 On people pleasing
21:23 – 22:57 On niceness vs kindness
22:57 – 25:00 On ideal day
25:00 – 26:39 On personal development
*An alias was used in place of real name
Redefining Success 
Leave a Reply