Kathryn Burmeister, The Happiness LawyerTM, shares with us her journey to live apart from the status quo and helps you in defining success for yourself.
Table of Contents
Defining Success for Yourself
It’s easy to get caught up in what society tells us we should be doing in order to be successful. We’re told that we need to get good grades, go to college, get a job, and so on. But what if that’s not what makes you happy?
Success is different for everyone. So don’t let anyone else tell you what it looks like for you. Find what makes you happy and go after it. Don’t settle for a life that doesn’t make you happy just because it’s the “normal” thing to do.
Find your own definition of success and go after it with everything you’ve got. You’ll be much happier in the long run.
The impact of the comparison trap
The comparison trap is easy to fall into. You see someone else doing something and you think, “I should be doing that too.” But just because someone else is doing something doesn’t mean it’s right for you.
You might compare yourself to others and feel like you’re not measuring up. This can lead to feeling depressed or anxious. And it can make you feel stuck.
Remember, comparison is the thief of joy. Don’t let it steal your happiness. Find what makes you happy and go after it.
Finding happiness
Happiness comes from within. It’s not something you can find in a partner, a job, or material possessions. Those things might make you happy for a while, but they won’t sustain your happiness in the long run.
True happiness comes from finding peace and contentment within yourself. It comes from living your life in accordance with your values and pursuing what brings you joy.
If you’re not sure how to find happiness for yourself, here are some tips:
– Spend time with people who make you happy. Surround yourself with positive people who will support your pursuit of happiness.
– Do things that make you happy. Find activities that bring you joy and make them a priority in your life.
– Be grateful for what you have. Appreciate the good things in your life, even if you’re also dealing with some tough stuff.
– Be accepting of yourself. Accepting yourself for who you are is an important step in finding happiness.
– Let go of what’s holding you back. If there’s something preventing you from being happy, let it go.
Finding happiness takes effort and purposeful action. But it’s so worth it. Don’t settle for a life that doesn’t make you happy. Pursue what brings you joy and live your best life.
Steps in defining success for yourself
Here are some simple steps in defining success for yourself.
1) Determine what makes you happy. Success is different for everyone, so find what brings you joy and make it a priority in your life.
Write it all down on paper, or type it out on a notes app on your preferred device. What makes you happy and filled with purpose? What does not? What will you need to start doing, and what will you stop doing as well as what will you keep doing? You’ve now created guardrails for defining success for yourself.
2) Let go of what’s holding you back. If there’s something preventing you from being happy, let it go.
3) Be grateful for what you have. Appreciate the good things in your life, even if you’re also dealing with some tough stuff.
4) Live your life in accordance with your values. Pursue what brings you joy and make it a priority in your life.
In This Episode
- What is an Ahimsa House?
- What is an addiction to the status quo? What is the implication for our lives?
- Life was driven by a checklist of accomplishments
- The suicide of a business partner was a wake-up call
- Creating boundaries or guardrails for your life by defining success for yourself
- How do you get out of the addiction to the status quo and start
- The negative impact of “participation trophies”
- Don’t believe in failure in terms of your self-worth
- Failure is a chance to learn, grow, and succeed later
Kathryn Burmeister
Kathryn Burmeister makes a point to live every day. As a human being, she channels her passion for others into animal rescue, charities, and other causes. She is an entrepreneur, attorney, author, speaker, and guide to high-level service professionals.
Kathryn has served on the Board of Directors for Ahimsa House, a non-profit that helps domestic violence survivors and their pets get out of abusive situations.
She is a member of Animal Legal Defense Fund, a non-profit whose mission is to protect the lives and advance the interests of animals through the legal system and is a member of their Pro Bono Program network; a member of the ACLU, a non-profit that works through the legal system and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and the laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country; and a member of the Female Founder Collective, a network of businesses led by women, that enables and empowers female-owned and led businesses to positively impact communities, both socially and economically.
She is also a member of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, whose mission is to protect the Constitutional promise of justice for all by guaranteeing the right to trial by jury, preserving an independent judiciary, and providing access to the courts for all Georgians.
Though she never anticipated having her own business, after a number of tumultuous events, Kathryn started her own law firm, Burmeister Law Firm, LLC, in October of 2018 and focuses exclusively on personal injury by giving a voice to those that have been hurt because of someone else.
She formed her personally branded business, Kathryn F. Burmeister, LLC in 2020. Known as The Happiness Lawyer™, she speaks, writes, and guides high-level service professionals towards living a full life (both personally and professional) of happiness. She wrote her first book, “Overcoming Addiction to the Status Quo,” in 2020, which tells the story of her journey hitting her rock bottom, mental health, self-improvement, emotional intelligence, and overcoming adversity as a high-level service professional.
A native Atlantan, Kathryn is an only child, of English, German, and Scots-Irish descent, and the second in her family to graduate college, earning her bachelors and law degrees from Mercer University. An animal lover, she rescued her first in the sixth grade. She has ridden horses since she was seven years old and enjoys taking equestrian vacations in different parts of the world.
Kathryn lives with her 4 cats, 1 dog, and her husband in Atlanta.
Resources and Links
KathrynFBurmeister.com is the place to go to learn more about Kathryn’s work as a writer, speaker, and someone helping others in defining success in finding happiness.
Get a copy of Kathryn’s book, Addiction to the Status Quo. You’ll be prompted to asked yourself about how you’re doing in finding happiness and defining success for yourself.
Listen to past episodes about how to be a father who is engaged:
The Secret Society of Success with Tim Schurrer– BtR 308
Redefine Success then Seek, Go, and Create the Life You Desire – Btr 274
Setting Goals to Achieve Success with This One Powerful Approach – BtR 266
Episode Credits
Host, Editing, and Production: Jerry Dugan
Music: “Oceans Apart” is our theme song composed and performed by Scott Ian Holmes.
