Setting the Scene
Inse adjusted his laptop on the small table by the window of his apartment, watching the city hum beneath him. The email notification pinged, but he already knew what it would say. Another client was “going in a different direction.” Another rejection.
Freelance writing was his passion, but it barely covered the bills. His partner, Sam, was incredibly supportive, but Inse couldn’t shake the feeling that he should be contributing more.
Scrolling through social media didn’t help. Post after post flaunted luxury vacations, designer clothes, and people his age somehow owning mansions. It made him feel like he was failing. He had always believed that success meant wealth, and wealth meant security. And yet, here he was, 26 years old, living paycheck to paycheck.
The voice of insecurity gnawed at him: You’ll never have enough. You’re not successful. Look at Curity, she made it. You? You’re stuck.
A knock at the door interrupted his spiral.
“Inse, open up,” Curity called. “I know you’re home.”
He sighed, rolling his wheelchair back from the desk and opening the door. His sister stepped in, radiating the effortless confidence that made her a legend in the business world.
The Illusion of Wealth
Curity took one look at him and shook her head. “You’ve been doom-scrolling again, haven’t you?”
He rubbed his face. “Maybe.”
She sat on the couch, crossing her legs. “Let me guess: you feel like you’re not making enough money, not living the dream, and that somehow means you’re failing.”
Inse scoffed. “Well, yeah. You’re you. Billionaire, global empire, success story. Meanwhile, I’m struggling to pay rent.”
Curity leaned in. “Inse, let me ask you something. Do you think money made me successful?”
He blinked. “Uh, yeah?”
She smiled. “Wrong. What made me successful was my ability to adapt, learn, and keep going. Money was a byproduct of that, not the goal.”
He frowned. “But money is security. It’s freedom.”
“Sure, money can buy security. But it can’t buy self-worth,” she countered. “That’s why it’s time to apply the Third Transformation: Let the Voice of Security be Your Guide.”
Shifting the Definition of Success
Inse sighed. “I just feel like I’ll never have enough.”
Curity pointed to his laptop. “That’s because you’re letting the voice of insecurity define what ‘enough’ even means. Instead of chasing someone else’s version of wealth, ask yourself: What does success actually look like for me?”
Inse hesitated. “I don’t know… being financially stable? Not stressing about bills?”
She nodded. “That’s fair. But you already have so much that wealth can’t buy.”
He frowned. “Like what?”
Curity smiled. “Freedom. You’re doing what you love, writing. You have a partner who supports you. You control your time, your projects, your life. People with millions in their bank accounts don’t always have that.”
Inse stared at her. “So you’re telling me I should just… stop caring about money?”
“Of course not,” she said. “But I am saying you need to stop letting money define your worth. Let the voice of security remind you: I am already enough. My value isn’t measured by my bank account.”
A New Perspective on Wealth
That night, Inse sat back at his desk and looked at his unfinished draft. He had spent so much time worrying about what he lacked that he forgot what he already had, his words, his creativity, his own version of success.
Instead of chasing a number in a bank account, he decided to chase something more meaningful, creating work that he was proud of.
Key Lesson: Let the Voice of Security Be Your Guide
- Money doesn’t define your worth, your growth, passion, and resilience do.
- Stop chasing someone else’s version of success. Define what wealth means for you.
- When insecurity creeps in, remind yourself: I am already enough.
By embracing the Third Transformation, Inse realized that success wasn’t about reaching a certain income, it was about living with purpose, on his own terms.
