You Can Be Successful and Still Be in the Wrong Lane
Discovering that true success comes from living in alignment with your purpose, not just achieving external accomplishments.
Success Isn't Always Alignment
For much of my career, I believed success meant becoming better at what I was already doing. I didn't realize that success and alignment are not always the same thing.
Like many professionals, I worked hard, earned credentials, built businesses, developed expertise, and pursued opportunities that looked successful from the outside. I was dependable, resourceful, and known as someone who could solve problems. By every measurable standard, I was succeeding.
Yet, despite those accomplishments, I eventually found myself asking a question that changed the direction of my life:
"Am I successful, or am I simply succeeding in the wrong lane?"
That question wasn't born out of failure. It came from success.
For years, I measured my value by what I could accomplish and by how many people I could help. Throughout my career, people would often reconnect with me to share how a conversation, a piece of advice, or information I had given them helped them start a business, pursue a new career, or reach a milestone they never thought possible.
Those conversations became some of my greatest rewards.
Ironically, while I was helping others move closer to their purpose, I hadn't stopped long enough to ask whether I was fully living my own.
Real Growth Often Begins With Honest Reflection
For me, that reflection required examining not only my career but also my priorities, my leadership, and, ultimately, my purpose. I realized that being exceptionally good at something doesn't necessarily mean it's where you're meant to spend the rest of your life.
There is a profound difference between competence and calling.
Sometimes we become so proficient in a role that we mistake proficiency for purpose. We stay because we're respected. We stay because we're comfortable. We stay because it's familiar.
But eventually, if we're willing to listen, our spirit begins calling us toward something greater.
The Imperative of Alignment
One of the mentors who profoundly influenced my journey is Dr. Thando Sibanda, author of The Imperative of Alignment. Through his work, I learned that alignment isn't simply something we teach—it's something we must continually pursue in our own lives.
His wisdom challenged me to stop asking, "What's my next opportunity?" and instead ask, "Is this aligned with who I was created to be?"
That single question transformed the way I make decisions. It also transformed the way I define success.
A Commitment to Building
Eventually, that journey of alignment led to the founding of Akwaaba Blue Limited and my commitment to building strategic partnerships that support sustainable development initiatives in Ghana.
Interestingly, Ghana wasn't simply a place I chose. It became a place that challenged me to think differently about leadership.
Before considering what I could build, I first asked myself a different question:
"How can I contribute to the people, the communities, and the country that would welcome me?"
I never wanted to arrive believing I had all the answers. I wanted to:
- Learn.
- Listen.
- Understand.
- Build relationships before building projects.
That single decision changed the direction of my work and, ultimately, my life.
I Define Success by Alignment
Today, I no longer define success solely by accomplishments, titles, or recognition. I define success by alignment.
- Am I using my gifts in service to something greater than myself?
- Am I creating opportunities that will continue serving others long after I'm gone?
- Am I faithfully stewarding the gifts I've been entrusted with?
Those questions now guide every major decision I make.
If there's one lesson I hope others take away from my journey, it's this:
You can be successful and still be in the wrong lane.
Success without alignment often leads to exhaustion. Success with alignment creates purpose.
When your gifts, your values, your experiences, and your work begin moving in the same direction, something remarkable happens. The work doesn't necessarily become easier, but it becomes deeply meaningful.
And meaningful work has a way of energizing us in ways that achievement alone never could.
Every Season Prepared Me
Looking back, I no longer see disconnected chapters in my life. I see preparation.
- Every challenge strengthened me.
- Every setback taught me resilience.
- Every success taught me responsibility.
- Every mentor offered wisdom.
- Every season—even the painful ones—prepared me for the next assignment.
Today, I continue embracing that journey with humility, curiosity, and a commitment to lifelong growth. I don't pretend to have all the answers, and I certainly haven't arrived. But I have learned that the most important leadership journey any of us will ever take isn't the one that earns us recognition.
It's the one that brings us into alignment with who we were created to be.
Because when that happens, success is no longer defined by what we accomplish. It's defined by who we become through the journey and how faithfully we use our gifts to serve others.
Perhaps the most important question any of us can ask isn't, "Am I successful?"
Perhaps the better question is:
"Am I living in alignment with who I was created to be?"
