Unmasking Success 

In our last conversation (If you missed it, don't worry - you can find it here), I got real about something you might relate to.

Today, let's hop back into the time machine and pick up where we left off...

It’s 2007.

For years, I've been sprinting in every possible area of my life - business, health, wealth, relationships. Yet, I constantly feel like the finish line is nowhere in sight.

On the outside, it seems I've got it all. But peel back the layers, and it's a different tale.

My inner world is often a storm, full of stress, overwhelming pressure, and even burnout:

I have all the external markers of success but not the internal experience of success.

And it's not like I'm not somehow aware of this discord. But, being a tenacious soul (a.k.a. stubborn as a mule), it takes me a sweet long while to spot the giant fly in the ointment.

But eventually, I do.

The trigger? A failed lifestyle design experiment:

“Experience life in full bloom, not just in the twilight years! Embrace Tim Ferriss's revolutionary 'mini-retirements,' interspersed liberally throughout your career. It's a perfect blend of work and play, facilitated by the power of automated income and remote work, to unlock unparalleled life experiences and satisfaction.”

Hear! Hear! Sounds enticing, right?

That’s what I’m chasing with all my might in 2007, diving headfirst into a mini-retirement, guided by Tim Ferriss' words.

After a year of refining my business, I'm gearing up for a three-month sabbatical to Whistler, one of Canada’s top-notch ski resorts.

But here’s the kicker - reality always wins and, this time, reality doesn't match expectations.

The initial thrill fades fast, replaced by a gnawing unease and the unexpected guest – boredom.

So rather than leading to success, the mini-retirement catapults me into a full-on crisis.

“Why didn’t it work?”

As I pick myself up, I begin to see that my tried-and-true methods of self-motivation and goal-chasing are, well, not working.

In fact, it's dawning on me that my entire blueprint for life needs a serious rethink.

Unbeknownst to me, I’m standing at one of those crossroads Robert Frost wrote about: "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by…”

At the heart of this crossroads is a dazzling look at often-neglected truism:

What we feel and experience—that's our Inner Lifestyle. If our Inner Lifestyle is lousy, it doesn't matter how grand our Outer Lifestyle is; our life experience will still be crappy.

Then and there, I start to understand…that’s why a person can have all the outer markers and habits of success and yet lack the internal experience of success.

But there is a big, giant but.

How on earth do I solve this? What alternate model of success can I embrace? I know the traditional route, the one that got me this far.

But what else?

An undiscovered path?

Maybe an entirely fresh way of living?

(To be continued…)

In the last part of this content series, I will reveal what's behind the curtain:

• A bit about what happened next, and the date and title of the first live Masterclass on the solutions I found in over a decade of research.
• How this experience helped me to assist other high-achievers conquer stress and overwhelm, unlocking the elusive key to deep fulfillment— a success that's internally driven and unconditionally felt.
• The story behind the mystery duo who are co-founding this project with me, and how they have had a profound impact on my journey.
• (complete with a snapshot of us in their picturesque Italian coastal hometown 😉)

Best,
Jamie Smart

Co-founder of LitFully with A.D. and D.M.