Sarah McLachlan redefines success in her work life

I went to college with Sarah McLachlan’s haunting voice. Her music and lyrics hit me on a soul level. I had always seen her life as perfect; her work life as one I aspired to emulate. Fame, creativity, the fabulous husband, children, career; all seemed to support the white-picket-fence fairy tale of being a successful modern career woman. Being a singer as a youngster, she was one of my idols. Now she has the nerve to share that she’s not perfect, nor was her work life scenario. Thank god. (sigh of relief)

McLachlan cut to the chase in an interview with Marsha Lederman of The Globe and Mail in her article, I’m Not the Girl I Was. The Grammy award-winner is releasing her new album on Tuesday, Laws of Illusion. Her first original album in seven years. And it’s one that turns her public persona on its ear and delves into some of the hardest times of her life, “the breakdown of her marriage, the desperate attempts to save it, the pain of moving on, and the glory of that too.”

McLachlan also spoke of the pain of change and growth. Her healing and transformation did not just impact her daily life, but also her career. Her definition of success has been altered. No surprise.

When we are brought to our knees in work and life, there’s this something special inside of us that emerges. It calls for us to go to a deeper level of consciousness and start questioning. Why am I hear? What’s my purpose? Is my reality truly aligned with my career. Here’s an excerpt with Sarah McLachlan from the article:

“I thought I was this person, and part of that is the artifice of the fantasy that we build up to hold up the perceived reality,” she explains, having clearly given it a lot of thought. “It’s all kind of a big illusion: the white picket fence and the perfect marriage and the kids. Check that box off, check that box off, and move forward. And then it all falls apart underneath you, and you’re left to pick up the pieces and sort out, ‘Well, who am I then?’ Because I thought that’s what I was and who I was, and I’m not all that. Or that’s not my life any more and how do I move forward from there?”

“I like the idea that we build up these walls or rules or laws to maintain our reality, and when they fall away, you’re left with a whole bunch of illusions,” says McLachlan. “Smoke and mirrors.”

With so many of us redefining our work lives post-recession and adapting to a 24/7  global marketplace, we’re challenged to navigate the stimulus that comes our way and cultivate resilience. But maybe the real challenge is to be real, authentic and walk and talk our truth. To do that beyond the smoke and mirrors of who we thought we were, and into the dynamic path of who we really are at our core.

Are you redefining success? If so, what are your keys to success? What is more important now that was not in the past? What illusions have you been living with? Please share your thoughts.