Have you ever walked into a store to get a new battery for your phone? What’s the first question they ask? “What phone do you have?” The reason is simple: every phone requires a different battery. Not every solution fits every problem. In the same way, not every path to happiness, success, or fulfillment will be the same for everyone.

There are countless self-help tips and guidelines out there that tell us what we need to strive for in order to be successful, happy, and fulfilled. If only you can get to do X, Y, and Z, your success will be almost inevitable and you will be happy and fulfilled in your career or life or ideally even both.

The truth is, in business, just as in personal development, the one-size-fits-all approach rarely works. Just as you need the right battery for your specific phone model, you need a tailored path to reach true success in your career and fulfilment in your life. The journey to authentic achievement begins not with a checklist of goals but with a deeper question: Who are you?

Self-awareness is the first step to genuine happiness and success. Discovering your unique strengths, passions, and values is important because it guides you toward the goals that genuinely align with who you are. Happiness is an inside job, and only by understanding yourself can you create a fulfilling life that fits you like a tailor-made suit.

The Foundation of Success: Self-Discovery

In today’s world, success is often defined by external achievements, but the journey starts with knowing who you are and what you stand for. Happiness and success come together when you’re not just chasing someone else’s idea of success but living out your own values and vision. Take time to discover yourself, cultivate self-compassion, and align your goals with your true self. Only then can you reach your full potential and find lasting success.

Before strategizing or setting ambitious targets, it’s essential to pause and reflect on your core identity. Self-awareness is the starting point of any meaningful success. Knowing your unique strengths, passions, and values helps you build a path that resonates with who you are at your core, not just what the world expects of you.

Inner Alignment: The Key to Sustainable Happiness

Success and happiness are interconnected, but real satisfaction isn’t found in external accomplishments alone. It grows from within when you align your actions with your core values. Self-compassion and authenticity are powerful forces in today’s business world, enabling leaders and professionals to make impactful, resilient decisions.

Once you’ve grounded yourself in self-awareness and values, the path to success becomes clearer. Success isn’t just about hitting targets or gaining recognition; it’s about aligning your ambitions with your authentic self. As you do this, you naturally unlock your potential and achieve not just external goals but a deeper sense of fulfillment.

Finding Your Core Values and Purpose

Discovering your core values is a journey of introspection and self-inquiry. Start by asking yourself what matters most in life and work. To uncover your true purpose, you may want to ask yourself questions like: What unique strengths do I bring to the table? What am I passionate about? What difference do I want to make in the world? Purpose is strongly connected to your core values and it often lies at the intersection of your talents, your passions, and the impact you want to create.

Interestingly, research shows that we often tend to identify core values along one of two pathways. One route leads us to what we call the preventive or fear-based values and the other one brings us to our aspirational or conscious-based values. Neither of the group of values is per-se better or worse than the other. However, in order to find an answer to the question of, “Who am I?”, knowing the difference and understanding the origin or our values can be very powerful.

1. Preventive Values:
   These are values that we choose to avoid discomfort or protect ourselves from situations we find unpleasant. For example, “peace” may be a core value for someone who is uncomfortable with conflict. In this case, the value serves as a shield, helping them navigate away from stress or anxiety. While preventive values offer safety, they can sometimes hold us back if they keep us in a protective mindset, limiting our growth and potential. That’s why these values are also called “fear-based values” as they offer protection through avoidance of something we might fear. Usually, these values are rooted in our past and are  our “have to” values, meaning we need them fulfilled to feel safe
2. Aspirational Values:
   These are values that truly uplift and inspire us. They are aligned with a desired outcome and reflect a vision of the person we want to be or the impact we want to make. For instance, “growth” might be a core value for someone who is committed to continuous learning and self-improvement, driving them to explore new opportunities and reach higher levels of personal and professional achievement. Aspirational values are operational values in the sense that they are energizing and forward-looking, helping us make choices that align with our highest potential.  That’s why this group of values is also called the “conscious-based values“Compared to the “have to” values, this group comprises our “want to” values.

The following table shows typical examples of preventive and aspirational value:

Now, it is important to realize that many values aren’t per-se preventive or aspirational. in fact, most values can function as both preventive and aspirational, depending on individual context and motivation. For example, security could be preventive if it’s about avoiding risk, but aspirational if it’s about creating a secure future for loved ones. Peace might be preventive if someone seeks to avoid conflict, but aspirational for someone dedicated to promoting harmony in their community. Ultimately, it’s the intention behind a value that determines its role in our lives. Understanding whether a value is helping you avoid discomfort or pushing you toward a meaningful goal is key in finding your true self.

To begin exploring your values, reflect on moments when you felt most fulfilled and energized. What values were you honoring in those moments? Conversely, consider times of frustration or conflict and think about what values were being challenged or neglected? This exploration helps you identify the principles that truly guide you, such as integrity, connection, or growth.

To uncover your true purpose, ask questions like: What unique strengths do I bring to the table? What am I passionate about? What difference do I want to make in the world? Purpose often lies at the intersection of your talents, your passions, and the impact you want to create.

How Coaching Can Help in the Process

Self-discovery can be challenging to undertake alone. This is where coaching becomes invaluable. A skilled coach acts as a partner, guiding you through a structured exploration of your values, strengths, and aspirations. Through open, non-judgmental dialogue, coaches help you reflect deeply, challenge assumptions, and uncover insights that might otherwise remain hidden.

Coaching provides a safe space to articulate your dreams, confront limiting beliefs, and develop a vision that feels true to you. A coach can help you not only identify your core values and purpose but also set actionable steps to bring them into your daily life and work. This alignment empowers you to make career and life choices with confidence, leading to a fulfilling journey that blends professional achievement with personal satisfaction.

Authentic Achievement: Success Aligned with Purpose

Once you have clarity about who you are and what drives you, achieving success becomes more than just hitting benchmarks. It becomes about living in alignment with your purpose and achieving goals that reflect your true self. This alignment allows you to move beyond the struggle of “doing” toward the ease of simply “being.” When you live authentically, success flows more naturally, unlocking not only your potential but also the potential to make a lasting impact without forcing or straining. Doing requires effort, but being, when grounded in your true self, is effortless.

In the pursuit of professional success, start with identity. Define what matters most, align your goals with your authentic self, and take steps that lead not only to external success but also to a deep, lasting sense of accomplishment. After all, the best leaders and professionals are those who understand themselves first and act from a place of inner clarity and purpose.

Coaching can be the catalyst that transforms your self-awareness into purposeful action. Through this process, you don’t just reach success, you redefine it in a way that feels right for you, achieving both outward accomplishments and inner fulfillment. By embracing who you are at your core, you shift from a constant cycle of effort to a state of natural alignment, where success and fulfillment arise effortlessly.