Don't Settle For 'Successful Enough' How to redefine personal prosperity and court the discomfort that leads to largesse.

Every career is a mix of comfort and struggle, complacency and striving. In a recent Gallup study, only 33% of U.S. employees reported being engaged at work. As "quiet quitting" becomes less of a buzzword and more of a recognized reality, it's no surprise that employees are settling to do just enough in their jobs. Too much striving, and you burn yourself out, along with everyone around you. Too much comfort, and you end up "successful enough," the ultimate slight for the driven person, the participation trophy for a life's work.

If you expect to have a significant impact, expect some struggles. Per Michele Borba, a psychologist and author of her recent book Thrivers: The Surprising Reasons Why Some Kids Struggle and Others Shine: "Thrivers are made, not born."

Our desire for comfort keeps us from doing what's needed to realize our vision. I played it safe and did what was expected, revealing little, pleasing people and avoiding risk at all costs. I learned these traits as a struggling teenager in order to cope in an unstable home. Life was hard enough and failure clearly was an option all around me, so I never gambled on making it more likely.

After some self-reflection, I decided that being "successful enough" wasn't enough. I was defining accomplishment through money and status. The success I sought required me to serve something bigger than myself. I was unintentionally self-centered. But to have a real impact, I needed to become more other-directed.

First, I developed a growth mindset that rewarded my gains instead of punishing my flaws. Second, I learned that the process-related discomfort is temporary. I spent more energy focused on leading the way for others. My confidence soared, as did my career.

Related: Why Self-Leadership is Essential to Your Success

Seize the right moment to stretch

If you're juggling personal challenges, focus there and save ambitious professional growth for later. If you feel balanced, force yourself to play bigger professionally. Focus on how you lead, not just what you do.

I got that chance when I became president of FAR. Despite our success, I saw the opportunity to raise our sights, change stale practices in our industry and create a lasting advantage. Doing things differently forced me to break from norms and make big investments in purpose, culture and people.

What if those moves didn't work? Would I be viewed as a soft leader, a woman who cared more about warm fuzzy ideas than the bottom line? If I failed, would it hurt the chances of other women earning top leadership roles? (Good news: We've thrived.)

Whatever challenge you take on, remember that "what you resist persists."

Related: 3 Ways to Overcome Stress and Doubt as an BIZ Experiences

Share your struggles

Old-school leadership models tell us to be stoic and struggle quietly. This seems to align with a study conducted earlier in 2022 by American Express and The New York Women's Foundation showing 65% of women surveyed said they were ambitious, but over half of the participants reported they lacked confidence. Social media reinforces that message as people post their perfectly curated, triumphant lives — omitting any difficulties or setbacks. Comparing ourselves to this image, we get a false sense of inadequacy that drains us. We shrink from the fight by dimming our own light, but it's okay to share your struggles and victories.

If you're ready to make your mark, accept the inevitability of roadblocks. Remember that real, virtuous growth takes courage and effort, causes pain and doubt and may not lead to the immediate results we're told we deserve.

A leader who faces struggle openly can create a deeper impact. And she creates the conditions where others can do the same. There are three reasons to do this:

• You don't waste time hiding things, and you become more authentic.
• You gain the support of others who can help you overcome obstacles.
• You make it alright for colleagues to show their imperfections and humanity.

Don't deny your setbacks, demystify them for yourself and others.

Ditch the win/lose mentality

In business, we're conditioned to think in terms of victory and defeat, but I find that paradigm limiting when it comes to organizational growth. Sometimes personal wins after many stalemates and setbacks. If every step of our growth required winning, we'd never practice.

A recent survey commissioned by Herbalife Nutrition, of 8,000 small business owners and employees, across 15 countries, found that 88% of respondents agreed with the theory that to be successful people can't be afraid to make mistakes, and 85% didn't believe they'd be where they were today if they stopped trying after making an error at the office.

From an organizational culture perspective, you want to reward responsible risk-taking — something now being taught to children and encouraged in businesses — in the name of growth. You want hungry people challenging convention, which can result in losses before gains. Don't add the pain of premature judgment when your people are already accepting the discomfort of trying something new.

Take Google's "20% time rule," for example. This concept encourages employees to spend 20% of their time brainstorming ideas to innovate the search engine's platform. This involves spending that time learning new things for yourself and applying your ideas to Google which has helped create some of their current offerings such as AdSense. A creative miss isn't a mistake if it leads you toward a greater idea that eventually brings growth.

Wish me well on my uncomfortable journey for impact and I'll be rooting for you on yours.

Related: How to Harness The Power of Positive Thinking for Personal and Business Growth