Redefining Success in an Uncertain World: Who Are You When the Power Goes Out?

Darwin lost power in Cyclone Fina. Brisbane and Gold Coast Area lost it for days back in March with Cyclone Alfred.

I was in Cairns back in 2011 during Yasi... category 5, power outages for about three weeks, and even longer in the remote areas.

In those first moments of darkness (before the candles, before the problem-solving kicked in) what was your reaction, how did you feel?

Excitement at the break from routine? Or panic at the loss of control?

That split-second reaction tells you everything about how you'll navigate what's coming next.

The Ground Is Shifting

You've probably noticed: earthquakes across the Pacific Ring of Fire. Volcanic eruptions making headlines. Recurring floods here in Australia and similar disasters hitting with devastating force and speed in other countries. Economic uncertainty. AI fundamentally restructuring how we work.

The systems we've been taught to rely on (the ones that told us exactly where we fit, what success looks like, how to measure our worth) are showing cracks.

And here's what most people don't realize: external chaos always reveals internal operating systems.

Who Are You Without the External Props?

Think about the identity you've built:

• Your job title
• Your industry reputation
• Your business (the one you work for or the one you built)
• Your income bracket
• Your Investments
• Your credentials or accolades

Now imagine all of that... gone.

Not because you failed. But because the game itself changed.

Who are you then?

For the corporate refugee, this isn't theoretical. You've already lived it. The redundancy. The restructure. The moment you realized your loyalty meant nothing when the spreadsheet didn't balance.

You likely ran the old programming: update the resume, rebuild the credibility markers, find the next safe harbour.

But the real question isn't what's next. It's who decides what's next?

For the business owner, the challenge is different but equally confronting. You escaped the corporate cage. You built something. You became the boss.

And then the market shifts. The algorithm changes. AI does in seconds what took you hours.

The identity you built around being "the expert," "the authority"... that's being challenged too.

The Stormy Dreams We Ignore

Have you ever dreamed of falling? Of being caught in a storm, wind whipping around you, desperately trying to find shelter?

Or the opposite... flying above the chaos, watching the storm from a distance, completely untouched by it?

These aren't random. Your subconscious mind (the 95% of your processing power running below conscious awareness) is showing you something important.

Falling dreams appear when you're clinging to control that's already slipping.
Flying dreams emerge when you're ready to let go and trust yourself.
Storm dreams come when external chaos is forcing you to decide: Am I the calm one, or am I the chaos?

The answers you find in dreams, in meditation, in that space between waking and sleeping... they're not mystical or 'woo woo'. They're pattern recognition. Creative problem-solving. Wisdom that your busy conscious mind drowns out.

But we've been conditioned to trust external systems more than internal knowing.

We'd rather Google it than sit with the question.
We'd rather follow the formula than trust our intuition.
We'd rather panic about the power being out than get curious about what we might discover in the darkness.

Storm Chaser or Observer?

When your carefully curated bubble bursts (and right now, for many, it is bursting) what's your first instinct?

The Panic Response:

• Frantically searching for the next safe thing
• Doubling down on what used to work
• Comparing yourself to others who "seem fine"
• Reverting to old measures of success even though they feel hollow

The Observer Response:

• Noticing the panic without being consumed by it
• Getting curious: "What is this revealing about what I actually value?"
• Asking better questions instead of demanding immediate answers
• Sensing the excitement underneath the fear

Neither is wrong. But one keeps you trapped in the old operating system. The other opens up possibilities.

Redefining Success Isn't Optional Anymore

The old definition was externally validated:

• Climb the ladder
• Hit the revenue target
• Prove your worth through achievement

And it worked... until it didn't.

Until you hit the goal and felt empty.
Until the promotion came with a price your soul couldn't or refused to pay.
Until you built the business but lost yourself in the process.

The new definition of success is internally aligned.

It answers: "Who am I when everything else is stripped away?"

And: "Am I living in alignment with my truth?"

The Self-Awareness Practice

Here's what changes everything: the observer effect.

In quantum physics, the act of observation changes what's being observed. Same with your internal operating system.

When you can observe your reactions without immediately acting on them, you create space. In that space, you can ask:

• Is this reaction serving me or just protecting an outdated version of me?
• What would I do if I trusted myself more than the false constructs or systems?
• What am I actually afraid of losing, and is that even real? Or really what I want?

This isn't just about positive thinking. This is accessing the 95% of your processing power that's been running the show without your conscious input.

The limiting beliefs, the fear responses, the panic instincts... they were programmed. Usually decades ago. Usually by systems that didn't have your best interests at heart.

What's programmed can be reprogrammed. Shout-out to all the programmers! They get it.

What's Next Isn't What You Think

The storms will continue. The systems will keep failing. AI will keep disrupting. The old markers of success will keep proving inadequate.

But you? You have a choice.

You can keep running the old programming: panic, rebuild the props, find the next safe thing, repeat.

Or you can do the deeper work: figure out who you actually are beneath the conditioning. Access the internal guidance system that knows things your conscious mind hasn't figured out yet. Redefine success on terms that align with your actual values.

When the power goes out (literally or metaphorically) you can be the calm one in the storm.

Not because you have all the answers. But because you've learned to trust yourself enough to find them.

The Real Question

So here it is, the diagnostic that matters:

When the ground shifts beneath you (and it will) do you panic or do you observe? React or respond?

Your answer tells you whether you're ready to redefine success, or whether you're still hoping the old systems will hold just a little bit longer.

Ready to do the internal work that creates lasting external transformation?

I work with professionals and entrepreneurs who are done with surface-level tactics and ready to access the wisdom of their own subconscious. Not another guru telling you what to do... Your own internal wisdom, that changes how you show up in your business and life.

Book a free call to see if this work is right for you.

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