What If We Measured Wealth in Goodness, Not Just Gold?

The pressure to perform success is real. But what if we measured it differently?

If you’ve ever quietly compared your income to someone else’s, or felt like you’re somehow ‘behind’ because your business doesn’t look like hers — this is for you.

Success used to be about achievement. Now? It’s about aesthetics, visibility, and the size of your Wise business account.

More and more, we measure success in £10k months, passive income streams and investment portfolios. And while financial empowerment can be freeing, it’s clear we’ve entered a new era of subtle — and sometimes not-so-subtle — comparison.

Who’s earning the most? Saving the smartest? Scaling the fastest?

It’s not just business — it’s performance. A quiet competition dressed up as ambition.

And somewhere along the way, we started confusing financial growth with personal worth.

The Success Script We Didn’t Write

Entrepreneurial culture — especially online — often equates progress with numbers. More clients. Higher revenue. Bigger launches. And while those markers can be motivating, they rarely tell the full story.

I’ve felt it too — that quiet pressure to measure our worth by our income. Even when we know better.

I still remember the first time I hit a month I’d once only dreamt of. It was the first time I’d ever earned over five thousand pounds in a single month. The money landed in my account. It looked impressive on my bank statement.

But emotionally? I felt… exactly the same. My peace hadn’t expanded. My purpose hadn’t deepened. It was a strange kind of emptiness — because I realised the number alone didn’t mean anything. Not without meaning behind it.

It reminded me of The Nanny Diaries, that glossy early-2000s film where wealth and status drip from every corner of Manhattan life — and yet the characters living it all seem quietly miserable. There’s power and privilege, but little purpose. From the outside, they’ve ‘made it’. But the inside tells another story.

And that’s the tension, isn’t it? When success looks good on paper — or on Instagram — but doesn’t feel good in real life.

Psychologists refer to this phenomenon as the hedonic treadmill — the idea that once we reach a financial milestone, we quickly adapt and crave more. What once felt like “made it” soon becomes the new normal. So we run again.

Add in the power of social comparison and we’ve built a culture where even purpose-led business owners can feel behind. Especially when everyone’s highlight reel is their revenue graph.

It’s not just the chase that’s exhausting. It’s the quiet, constant pressure to keep proving we’re successful.

Hustle Culture in a New Outfit

We tell ourselves we’re doing business differently now — softer, slower, more intentional. And in many ways, we are.

But hustle culture didn’t disappear. It just put on a prettier outfit.

The energy is calmer. The branding’s better. But make no mistake: the pressure is still there. The competition may be quieter now — more curated, less #girlboss grit — but the performance remains.

Women are still absorbing the message that the only way to prove our capability is through continual financial growth. We’re expected to scale quickly, earn visibly, and never settle for “enough.”

Stephen Covey coined the term scarcity mindset — the belief that success is finite, and if someone else wins, we lose. It’s the mindset that turns community into comparison. And it shows up in subtle ways — even in industries built on collaboration, creativity and connection.

But here’s the thing: real marketing isn’t about proving your worth. It’s about communicating your value.

There’s a big difference between showcasing a lifestyle or a bank balance and demonstrating the depth of your work. A well-positioned brand doesn’t need to prove its power — it shows up clearly, consistently, and in service of the people it’s here to help.

The best marketing strategies aren’t built on pressure. They’re built on clarity, relevance, and resonance.

Because at the end of the day, what draws people in isn’t how much you’ve earned — it’s how well you understand them, serve them, and help them move forward.

Redefining Wealth: From Status to Substance

Here’s the quiet revolution happening behind the scenes: more women are choosing to measure their success differently.

For the woman building a vision-led business that doesn’t cost her wellbeing — this is your reminder that you’re allowed to define success on your own terms.

We’re celebrating:

• Work that feels purposeful

• Teams that feel safe

• Boundaries that protect our peace

• Impact that reaches beyond ourselves

In The Soul of Money, Lynne Twist reframes abundance as something internal:

“True abundance is not something we acquire. It’s something we tune into.”

She calls this sufficiency — recognising that we already have, and are, enough.

Imagine if we were just as proud of a colleague we mentored, or a burnout cycle we avoided, as we are of a five-figure month. Imagine if our professional milestones were measured in lives touched, not turnover alone.

And here’s a thought: no one’s ever said, “She was kind, generous and purposeful — but shame about the revenue graph.”

Redefining success doesn’t mean rejecting financial goals — far from it. Money is powerful. It can create safety, space and systemic change. But it’s not the only indicator of a business worth building.

Author Daniel Pink, in Drive, identifies purpose as one of the three core human motivators, alongside autonomy and mastery. And for many women — especially post-pandemic — purpose has become non-negotiable.

It’s not just about what we earn. It’s about who we become while earning it.

So instead of asking how much did I make this month?, we might ask:

• What did I create that actually mattered?

• Who felt seen or supported because of my work?

• What legacy am I quietly building?

A New Kind of Success

In a world still enthralled by scaling, striving, and status, choosing to measure success by something softer — kindness, courage, clarity, contribution — can feel quietly rebellious.

But perhaps that’s exactly what’s needed.

Because a £10k month might make headlines. But a career rooted in integrity, intention and impact?

That’s timeless.

What would your business look like if you measured the richness of your impact — not just the size of your Wise business account?

Because when we stop chasing someone else’s version of wealth, we make space for a life that’s truly our own.

Rooted. Resonant. Rich in all the ways that matter most.