Deep Roots, Not Loud Leaves 🌳

"Don’t aim at success. The more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it." — Viktor Frankl

There was a time I measured success by how many people noticed.

By the metrics.
The dopamine rush of notifications.
The performance of it all, the curated image of being impressive.

And sure, it worked. For a while.

“Success isn't louder applause; it's deeper fulfillment.”

But it never lasted.
The high always wore off.
And beneath the noise was the same gnawing question:

“Why doesn’t this feel like enough?”

It took hitting an emotional wall, and quietly crashing behind closed doors, for me to realize I wasn’t chasing success.
I was chasing approval.
Recognition. Validation. A sense of worth measured by the number of hands clapping.

But fulfillment,
that’s something else entirely.
It’s not immediate.
It doesn’t shout.
It whispers through alignment.
It settles in your bones.

Success becomes real when your outer efforts mirror your inner values.
When you’re proud of how you live, not just how you look living.

And ironically,
that version of success is quieter.
But far more enduring.

🌊 Ready to Redefine What Success Means for You?

The 30-Day Shadow Integration Journal isn’t about achievement.
It’s about alignment.
It helps you unlearn the performative version of success, so you can reconnect with the kind that feels honest, even in silence.

Your inner work.

Ask yourself today:

“Would I still do this if no one ever applauded me for it?”

Then go further:

“What makes me feel fulfilled when no one’s watching?”

Write a list. One that has nothing to do with optics.
These are your truest values.
Let them shape how you define success from here forward.

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“Congrats on your trophy. I got inner peace and a decent sleep schedule.”

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All in all.

You don’t need to be louder.
You need to be truer.

Let success be measured not by who’s clapping,
but by whether you can sleep at night knowing you showed up with integrity.

Because the most meaningful applause?

It happens inside your own chest.

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Let’s talk about it.

Have you ever achieved something impressive—and still felt empty?

What helped you shift your definition of success?

If you’re open to it, share your turning point.
Let’s remind each other that true success isn’t in the spotlight.

It’s in the substance.

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Thanks for reading today’s Healing Text.

If you’re here, you’re part of something honest, something that makes space for healing without the performance. And I don’t take that lightly.

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And if you’re craving deeper reflections, long-form stories, raw journal entries, and shadow work tales that cut through the noise, I write those in my other newsletter…

Whether you support with a share, a coffee, or just by showing up… thank you.

With gratitude,
— Ryan Puusaari ☕💛

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