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When I signed off on my taxes last month, it was the first time in 10 years that I didn\u2019t owe any money to the IRS.\n\n\n\nIn fact, I got a refund.\n\n\n\nNow, I\u2019d love to tell you that\u2019s because I was much more diligent with my financial planning. And, that is partially true.\n\n\n\nBut the main reason I\u2019m getting a refund is that I personally made a lot less money last year.\n\n\n\nNot gonna lie: making less money was a big hit to my ego.\n\n\n\nWorse, I realized how much my personal identity as a provider, a businesswoman, and a leader was tied up in the dollar dollar bills.\n\n\n\nLet me clarify: I don\u2019t define myself by how much money I make. I don\u2019t think I\u2019m worthless if I\u2019m not rich\u2026\n\n\n\nWhat happened is that I had been using money as validation. I equated my ability to do my job with my ability to continue to grow the revenue my company generates.\n\n\n\nSo it wasn\u2019t so much the money itself\u2014but continuing to push the needle on that money that felt tied to my value as an entrepreneur.\n\n\n\nTaking a deliberate step back to pivot, as well as develop a new product and marketing strategy, as I have over the last 2 years, just didn\u2019t allow me to grow at the same rate.\n\n\n\nBut, instead of seeing that objectively, I responded emotionally.\n\n\n\nI\u2019ve recently learned something fairly obvious but nevertheless profound about myself: I define myself by my accomplishments.\n\n\n\nNot just because my accomplishments tell others something about who I am but because I worry, deep down, that I don\u2019t have much to offer. The more I accomplish, the more value I can believe I have.\n\n\n\nAccomplishing that year-after-year revenue growth was a sign that I had created something valuable\u2026 that I was valuable.\n\n\n\nIn that way, money has been an easy metric for me to use to measure my worth and to calculate the exact value I\u2019m creating in the world.\n\n\n\nThat means that when my paycheck took a hit, it felt like my credibility took a hit.\n\n\n\nOf course, revenue is just one very small way to measure success or value. Thankfully, I can use it to pay my mortgage but otherwise it\u2019s about as useful as a Facebook like or an Instagram follow when it comes to measuring my personal value.\n\n\n\nWhile I\u2019m personally working on not defining my identity or credibility solely by what I\u2019ve accomplished, it has been helpful for me to look at what we\u2019ve accomplished as a company outside of my self-imposed numbers game. I\u2019m choosing to take pride in the process and enjoy the journey of refining my approach.\n\n\n\nToday, my company produces this exceptional podcast that gives you behind-the-scenes access to how businesses actually run (no gurus, hype, or magic formulas).\n\n\n\nMy company hosts an exceptional network of small business owners having candid conversations about what\u2019s working and not working in their businesses.\n\n\n\nWe\u2019ve dialed in operations, honed our approach, and nurtured a community culture of constructive optimism.\n\n\n\nMy company facilitates small group masterminds that bring business owners together around a common goal. I\u2019ve personally had the chance to level up my facilitation skills and learn how much I love this role.\n\n\n\nToday, my company operates better than it ever has.