The Success Paradox: When Opportunities Threaten your Growth

Ever notice how success can sometimes feel like it’s working against you? I’ve been reflecting on this lately as my calendar fills up with exciting opportunities — speaking engagements, collaboration requests, and potential partnerships. All stemming from the consistent thought leadership work I’ve done over the past many months.

While these opportunities are exactly what I’ve been working towards, I notice an interesting challenge emerging. The more successful my thought leadership becomes, the harder it gets to maintain the very habits and routines that built that success in the first place. It’s a classic case of the urgent crowding out the important.

This past couple of weeks have been eye-opening. As I rushed from one exciting opportunity to another, I realised I was falling behind on my content creation, my regular community engagement, and the deep thinking time that fuels my best insights. The very foundation of my thought leadership was starting to crack under the weight of its own success.

This resonates deeply with what I see in my work with women leaders. We’re often excellent at seizing opportunities and delivering results, but maintaining consistent routines amid success can be our biggest challenge. When everything feels urgent and important, it’s tempting to let our foundational habits slip.

Here’s what I’m learning: Success isn’t just about saying yes to good opportunities – it’s about protecting the routine that created those opportunities in the first place. For me, that means blocking off non-negotiable time for content creation and strategic thinking, even when my calendar is screaming for attention elsewhere.

For the women leaders I work with, this often means preserving time for team development, strategic planning, or innovation – even when immediate demands feel overwhelming. It’s about recognising that today’s urgent tasks shouldn’t come at the expense of tomorrow’s growth.

The real challenge isn’t managing failure — it’s managing success in a way that sustains rather than undermines our long-term impact. 

Because true thought leadership isn’t built on sporadic bursts of brilliance, but on consistent, intentional practice.

I’m curious – how do you protect your important routines when success threatens to overwhelm them? If, like me, it’s all a bit too much right now, book a call. Let’s build your resilience so that you can continue to make your impact.

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