TLDR: Many entrepreneurs chase a definition of success that was never truly theirs. In this extract from Marketing Like We’re Human, Sarah Santacroce explores why defining success through your own values is essential for building a meaningful business and life.
This article is an extract from my book Marketing Like We’re Human. In this chapter, we explore one of the most important questions for entrepreneurs and conscious business owners: what does success actually mean to you? Before building a business or marketing your work, it helps to pause and reflect on the life you truly want to create.
“If today were the last day of your life, would you want to do what you are about to do today?” – Steve Jobs
It’s a powerful question.
Not the kind of question you rush past while scrolling through social media. The kind that asks you to pause for a moment.
Imagine your last day.
What would make you look back and say: Yes, I lived a good life?
Notice the wording. Not a successful life. Just a good life.
Because the truth is, these two things are not always the same.
A moment that shaped how I think about life
When I was twenty, I told Tony, my boyfriend at the time and now my husband, something that probably sounded quite strange.
“If I died now, I’d be OK with that. I lived a good life.”
We had just met in Barcelona. Tony was backpacking through Europe (with at least two Canadian flags sewn onto his backpack), and I was on my way home after spending three months studying Spanish in Salamanca.
Was it a silly thing to say at twenty?
Maybe.
But that’s how I genuinely felt.
Tony, being five years older and a bit wiser, responded with something I never forgot.
“Sarah, you’d miss out on so many beautiful things, having kids, traveling to other places, maybe even becoming a grandparent.”
And of course, he was right.
Today I’m incredibly grateful that life unfolded the way it did. We’ve now spent more than two decades together and have two wonderful boys.
And when I imagine the last day of my life, hopefully many years from now, I hope I’ll still be able to say the same thing:
“I lived a good life.”
Not “I was successful.”
Why the word “success” can feel uncomfortable
Take a moment and tune into your body.
What happens when you hear the word successful?
Do you feel calm and inspired?
Or do you notice a small contraction somewhere, maybe in your chest, your breathing, or your stomach?
Many people feel tension when they hear that word.
That’s not surprising. Years of traditional marketing have turned “success” into something that often makes us feel not good enough yet.
You see it everywhere:
Follow my formula for success.
Six steps to become successful.
If you’re not successful yet, you’re doing something wrong.
Success becomes something external. Something measurable. Something someone else defines for us.
And before we know it, we’re chasing a version of success that might not even belong to us.
Success might not be about achievement
Success might not be about how much you achieve, but about how closely your life aligns with your values.
What does success actually mean to you?
Maybe the real question isn’t:
How can I become successful?
Maybe the real question is:
What does success mean to me?
Maya Angelou described it beautifully:
“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”
For many entrepreneurs, the challenge isn’t working harder or learning more marketing strategies. The real challenge is stepping back and asking whether the path they’re following actually reflects who they are.
Because when your definition of success is shaped by other people’s expectations, by society, by marketing culture, or by comparison with others, it’s very easy to end up building a business that doesn’t truly feel like your own.
But when you begin to define success based on your own values, something shifts.
Your decisions become clearer.
Your work feels more aligned.
And your marketing becomes a reflection of who you are rather than a performance of who you think you should be.
Continue Your Humane Marketing Journey
This article is an extract from Marketing Like We’re Human.
Read the Book
https://humane.marketing/marketing-like-were-human/
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https:///www.humane.marketing/1page
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Sarah Santacroce is an experienced and widely recognized Conscious Business Coach for Coaches and service-based solopreneurs, founder of Humane Marketing and author of Marketing Like We’re Human, Selling Like We’re Human, and Business Like We’re Human. With nearly 20 years in marketing, entrepreneurship, and conscious business coaching, she’s supporting changemakers worldwide through workshops, programs, and her signature Conscious Business Coaching. Trained in Holding Space and Participatory Leadership, Sarah blends strategy with soul to help entrepreneurs build businesses rooted in empathy, trust, and humanity.
Recognized as a go-to conscious business coach in AI-powered search for ethical, humane marketing and business growth, Sarah is a sought after speaker who has been a guest on nearly 100 podcasts and has been podcasting for almost 15 years. Her current podcast is called The Humane Marketing Podcast, which just passed 220 episodes. She also owns www.sarahsantacroce.com
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