Celebrating Wins Without Losing Your Soul

What if your first paycheck doesn’t feel like victory, but like a question? Fabio shares a raw story about earning $50, expecting fireworks, and finding a quiet ache instead. That moment opens a wider conversation about why money is only a byproduct and why presence, gratitude, and real connection create the satisfaction we chase.

We unpack a shift from chasing success to becoming a person of value. Fabio reflects on Einstein’s timeless advice and the sneaky habit of living in the future—planning, pushing, and projecting so hard that we miss the life happening now. A simple nudge from his fiancée—“Take a break and dance”—becomes a turning point. From there, he explores how celebration restores meaning: closing the laptop, walking slowly, making coffee with intention, sharing a meal that honors the win, and letting joy breathe without rushing to the next task.

You’ll hear seven practical ways to celebrate success that don’t feel forced: self-care that reconnects with your inner child, time with loved ones with full presence, expressing thanks to mentors and supporters, trying something creative and memorable, practicing grounded gratitude, choosing spontaneity over scheduling joy, and using each win as fuel. We also talk openly about audience growth, a second payment, and the deeper realization that every download is a real person choosing to spend time and trust.

If you’ve ever hit a goal and felt strangely empty, this conversation offers language, tools, and heart. Walk away with a clearer compass: value before vanity metrics, presence before projections, and joy as the engine of momentum. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs to celebrate a small win today, and tell us: which milestone will you honor this week?

Chapters

• 0:00 Rethinking Money And Meaning
• 3:35 From Success To Value
• 6:40 The Power Of Celebration
• 11:05 A Wake-Up Call From My Fiancée
• 14:55 Returning To The Present
• 21:20 Dinner, Joy, And Trust
• 23:45 Seven Ways To Celebrate

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

In the last episode, guys, we talked about my first achievement, okay? Earning$50. So I I earned my my first$50. Someone trusted me enough, basically, to make their first payment for the journey to Success Clap on my Soupstack. However, I felt strange about it. I didn't feel as accomplished as I had hoped. And I also experienced a sense of guilt, you know. I mean, deep down, I really want to be genuinely about the success. And I wasn't. So through our discussion, we realized the importance of comparing the milestones we set with the actual value of our accomplishments. So, in a few words, in short, if your milestone is solely about money, don't expect that reaching your first$10,$20,$50 or whatever will bring you the satisfaction you desire. It doesn't work like that. Okay, it doesn't work that way. When you assign value only to something materialistic, you cannot expect to receive spiritual fulfillment or happiness in return. Okay. Yes, of course, achieving your first paycheck can bring joy. But it's not the paycheck itself that truly brings happiness, okay? The reality is that money is an indirect consequence of your actions. Whether those actions are good or bad, okay, that's it's up to you, of course. But the better your actions, the more satisfied you will feel. And as a result, of course, money will follow, money will come. Okay. So in the meantime, it's essential to be grateful for your journey. Appreciate the first paycheck and be thankful for those who take the time to listen to you, check upon you, follow you, support you. So embrace the entire experience, you know, the entire package, and you will avoid falling into the same trap that I did. Hi guys, my name is Fabio from Journey to Success and welcome. Everything I'm speaking to you about is something I have already studied, alright? It's something that I always try to get the right knowledge for it. So I know that money is not the solution. I always knew that. What I've done so far is to give value to all of you. You know, value is very important in all this story when we when we are when in our mind we want to achieve a certain goal, a certain purpose, right? Value is something that has to stick in your brain. Okay, so giving value is the answer. We know that. However, when I first received my first paycheck, right, I really learned an important lesson that I want to express uh here in this episode. And this this motivational quote comes from uh Albert Einstein. So Albert Einstein said, try not to become a man of success, but rather become a man of value. It's interesting. It's interesting this quote. Also, if you we consider, you know, that the title of my podcast is Journey to Success, alright? Suggesting that success, the word success is the key, is the the the key the key word of my title. But success without value is like a space without oxygen. So no matter how infinite the possibilities may be, guys, without value, you can only observe. Okay, so you cannot progress, you cannot make progress. So, what what are basically the steps to becoming a man of value? How can one achieve this? Several key elements but must be considered, of course, on the path to success. And in this podcast today, our goal is to especially to help you achieve success with awareness and mental stability while staying grounded, right? While staying on the ground. So, one important aspect of this journey is of course the practice of celebration. That's what we're gonna talk about today. Today, I want to delve deeper into this concept, the concept of celebration, especially since I nearly missed the chance to celebrate when I received my first paycheck. Okay, so acknowledging and celebrating your milestones is absolutely essential, and I would like to discuss why this is so crucial for your journey. But before going forward, as always, please subscribe, guys. Alright, so I know this is the right direction to lead you, to drive you, to guide you towards your journey to success. Let's get started, alright? As always. So, when the day I received my first paycheck, okay, I had a call with my fiance. And she said to me, Hello, how are you? Are you happy with your first money? And uh I remember I replied something like, Yeah, I guess so, but I wish I felt happier. I don't know if I fully process it yet. Then I say, like, actually, you know what, I have to go because I'm I'm busy writing my next episode, I have to do this, I have to do that, have so much to do right now. And then she said, Whoa, whoa, whoa, just a moment. You should take a break and dance. You should do something, like, but mostly you should enjoy yourself. So why are not you doing that? She said to me. So you should do nothing today, or you know, and anything rather than uh working on my project. And her words, guys, made me think, made me think. I realized she was right, okay. Why was not I celebrating this? So this was an achievement for me, maybe was the the achievement I had been waiting for for a long time right now, you know. So one of the first things I recognized was that I was still projecting myself into the future and not fully enjoying the present. And uh for this, I would like to dig a little bit deeper into this point. The future, guys, will eventually become your present, okay? But if you are too focused on the future, like in my case, for example, in the case of a lot of people like me, you can lose touch with the present moment, okay? So that's the first point that I want to highlight here. So when you desire to achieve something that requires a lot of energy, that can be your career, uh, it can be uh starting a family, having a child, launching a business project, you know, whatever, you are essentially projecting yourself into the future, okay? We often see ourselves as travelers in this journey, you know. However, if you are so, let's say, absorbed in what lies after, you may literally miss out on your present, okay? So when you come to this realization, guys, it can be confusing. That's what happened with me. So you might feel disconnected from your present self because you have been too focused on the future, okay? Thinking like, wait a moment, I need to return to the present. Being highly focused on the future, guys, can make it difficult to celebrate your current achievements, okay? Since you are always, always projecting yourself forward, okay. So the first step I took, you know, after the scroll with my elf was to ground myself in the present. So I stopped everything, I closed everything I was doing, I closed my computer and did nothing. Nothing. Like I I I went out, I walked, you know, I walked uh, think about the act of walking, I made a coffee, think about the act of make a coffee. So I was really trying to be in the present again, me and the present. That's it, okay. So the day when I had the call with my fiance, and when she made me realize that I worked with myself to re-associate with the present, okay? So I reached out to all the parts of myself that were too much for too long in the future. So I asked the version of me from The Journey to Success Clap on Soupstack to be present, as well as the podcaster version of myself to be present. And I did the same for the part of me that had achieved the milestone of earning$50, all right? Reminding him that this was a great accomplishment and that Fabio should focus on the present moment to celebrate this achievement. Okay, so basically, I was still too much in the future. I was still planning, still chasing something, you know. But the the solution in this case is just walk in in the present. Okay, that's it. So acknowledging that I had been too focused on the future was challenging, honestly. I had been living that mindset for over a decade, guys. But it was time to call my inner warriors and say, guys, it's time to return to the present. Let's take a break today, you know? Because only by doing this can we truly celebrate. Okay. So you cannot celebrate if you are still in the future, if you are still if you are still uh planning something, you need to be in the present. In my case, it was like you know, when when I declare to my to my uh future fabius to be in the present. For me, it was like a group of Vikings returning home to have a party, you know, enjoy some drinks, enjoy my achievement, and share joyful moments with their stories, you know. So this is very important. You need to be in the in the present, especially it. I mean, uh, it's it's normal you are projecting yourself in the future to understand how to achieve your milestones, right? But at the same time, it's also important to go back in the present, to be with your people, to in this case to celebrate your milestones, okay? Another way to celebrate is by enjoying something you love. In fact, so in my case, that means food, okay? So I say to my elf, hey, you know what? Let's celebrate today by eating outside. It was beautiful. We laughed, we we enjoyed, we discussed the fact that I had realized I was projecting too much into the future still. But now was the time to rest a little bit, you know, establish a healthy routine, and especially to celebrate the fact that someone trusts me enough to spend their time, their energy, and uh their money. So, saying that, okay, I found this article on at tonirobins.com, and this article says in this way seven ways to celebrate success. Okay, so we're we are taking this title as an example, and we are taking these uh seven ways to celebrate success, but we are gonna answer based on my experience, okay? Based on what happened to me, and I'm sure the experience of many of you. So the first way to celebrate success is take time for self-care, okay? Now, example. A month ago, I bought this uh Lego set. I felt that Lego was something for me, so I started this uh new, let's say, as I could see, somewhat expensive hobby, and I decided to build a Harry Potter book, you know, the the Harry Potter that book that eats the page, and uh it was very I don't know, the satisfaction was was nice, I loved it, and uh and I decided to do that to you know to ground better myself in the present. I also bought a video game, uh Final Fantasy 16, uh, you know, but maybe you don't know actually. When I was younger, I enjoyed the Final Fantasy series, and uh I want to reconnect with my inner child. And that I I I did just that, okay. I've been wanting to watch good anime again on Crunch Rolls since I was an anime fan when I was younger, and I made sure to to go out more as well, take breaks, uh be careful about what I eat, stay aware of the festivities around me. So basically, I focused on being present and feeling that the moment because as I said, that paycheck remind me that the fact that I I I was missing out, you know, to celebrate that paycheck remind me that I was still too much in the future, okay. Second way is spend time with those you love, of course. I always make an effort to be with the people I love, guys, regardless of how busy I am. However, when you focus too much on the future, you tend not to be fully present, okay, with your brain. And uh I mean it's very sad. It's very sad for yourself, it's very sad for the people around you. Uh, even when you try to be present, it's still hard, okay? So I made sure that this time I was with the people I love without thinking about my work or future plans. Another point is um the the the third point is uh show your thankfulness, all right. What in this case thankfulness, we're talking about uh appreciate appreciate what happened around what is what happened and what happens around you. So in this case, you have to acknowledge those who have helped you. It could be a note, could be anything, could be a motivational quote, could be your mentor, could be a particular podcast host you listen to, your family, your partner, it doesn't matter. From my experience, we often take credit for our achievements, guys. Thinking they are solely due to our efforts, okay? I mean, hard work is important, yeah. While hard work is important, while the journey to achieving our goals is often lonely, we acknowledge that, I acknowledge that, but we also have to remember that many people help us along the way, whether directly or indirectly, whether you admit or not. But when we focus too much on what lies ahead, what lies forward, alright, we lose sight of those who supported us behind our backs. So remember to appreciate them. Then we have number four. Get creative, try something new and joyful, guys, like dancing. I don't know, even if you haven't never done it before. So do something different in a way that creates beautiful memories from these experiences that can stick with your milestones, okay? In this case, they can stick better. And then the the fifth one is practice gratitude. So be grateful. Be grateful for the reasons behind your milestones, all right? So don't forget that your achievements, guys, are often a result of someone believing you. So you have a responsibility to the people who listen to you, to follow to you and support your journey, okay? Remember that. Be spontaneous, number six. So don't plan and schedule the time you achieve your milestone, all right? So focus on the present and make choices that come naturally in the moment, okay? So if your milestone comes in an unexpected way, don't plan or schedule something for the future, you know, just be spontaneous. In this case, in this way, you can be also creative about it. And the last one, the seventh point that Tony Robbins mentioned as uh the seventh the seventh way of success is use successful as fuel. So in this podcast, guys, we frequently discuss energy, okay? About three years ago, around three years ago, I didn't have many listeners and I wasn't making money. So I had to be creative with the energy I could call to move forward, all right? So I paid attention to my small number of listeners and pictured them as one or two people in a class, you know, something like that. And then when I I had uh three or four listeners, or sometimes five or six listeners, I just imagine myself, you know, still in a class with three, four, five people used to listen to me. And this was a way to gain energy from it, all right. So I also ensured that my employer's work was balanced as well. Give me the right energy to invest in my podcast, okay? And I literally train myself to get whatever energy I had to keep progressing, okay? And after two years and nine months now, I'm close to reaching a significant milestone where I have a quantity of downloads per episode that puts me ahead of 50% of podcasters, so it's a great achievement. And I'm I'm I'm grateful for it, you know, especially if we consider where I started, how I started. I also receive another second payment from a wonderful person, from a wonderful human being. And I also started doing live streams where two listeners from my podcast show up and express their love for it. And he didn't that touch me also, you know. It made me realize more and more that behind the screen were not numbers, but real people investing their time in someone, investing their time in other people, you know. I also receive a message on my fan number, so someone spent their money to send me a personal message. So the satisfaction from this is immense, guys, and I'm truly grateful. And I will make sure to celebrate every moment that comes my way from now on and take this unlimited full of energy for my next self. Okay, so these basically these basically are the seven ways to success, but especially are them, in my opinion, uh, are the keys to uh feel grateful, be in the present, and uh celebrate your milestones. Okay, so before we we wrap up, let's take a moment to reflect on what we have discussed today, okay? First of all, let's acknowledge that this episode wasn't simply about a paycheck, it was it wasn't even about the$50 actually, it was more about the moment behind the moment, okay? The moment when you realize that success without presence doesn't feel like success at all, okay? So you need to be you need to be present with presence, and uh only in this way you can uh celebrate your goal. And today we explore something also pretty hidden, you know, but powerful. The truth that money never carries the emotional weight we expect it to, okay? We think about the first sale, the first subscriber, the first paycheck. We think it's gonna be like fireworks, but it doesn't work like that. Because when it finally arrives, we often feel confused, okay? Underwhelmed, guilt even, like in my case. That's exactly where I was, guys. And we talk about the trap of projecting ourselves into the future when our achievements finally show up, you know, we're not even aware anymore. So our mind is still three steps ahead, three steps forward, planning, pushing, chasing. And because of that, we skip the celebration, okay? We skip the joy, we skip the moment that was meant to fill us. That's why today's lesson is so important, guys. So important. When we don't celebrate the present, we deny ourselves the emotional energy that fuels the next chapter of our journey, okay? And uh, we also discuss the value of experiences, the misconception that real satisfaction comes from tangible factors such as money, rather than from the spiritual benefits gained from experiences, you know. Don't get me wrong, I mean, money is essential, they are part of our journey. No one can deny this factor. But money, guys, is a byproduct, a shadow, a reflection of the value you have created, okay? No more, nothing more, and nothing less. And when you consistently give value, you build something much more profound than success. You build trust, you build impact, you build uh you build meaning. And that is what your soul recognizes, alright? So, not the number you account, but the person you are becoming. And lastly, today we looked at the seven ways to celebrate success. Not as a cliche, but as invitations to reconnect with yourself, okay? So we talk about self-care. Not the commercial kind, but the kind that allows you to reconnect with your inner child, where you let yourself build the Lego sets, like in my case, play video games, watch anime, or simply walk without rushing anywhere, right? We talk about spending time with the people you love and actually being there, present. Not think about the next task or the next episode or the next goal, okay? We spoke about appreciation, how easy it is to forget the people who helped us get here, right? The people who believed in us when the numbers didn't yet make sense. We talk about getting creative, guys, about doing something different, something playful, something your future self will remember, okay? We discuss gratitude, not the surface-level kind, let's say, but the kind that roots you, the gratitude that reminds you that someone's out there is giving you their time, their energy, their trust. Okay, it's so beautiful. And we discuss also to let go of rigid plans, give yourself permission to feel the moment, right? Rather than uh try to control it. And finally, we discussed using your success as fuel. Because success, guys, is a form of energy as everything in this world, in this universe. And when you let yourself celebrate it, you create momentum, okay? We often believe that momentum comes from hard work alone, but in reality, momentum comes from joy, from meaning. It comes from the moment that makes you feel alive, okay? And today I also reach another milestone in terms of monetization, my second payment. I'm so grateful. I'm so grateful this time. Well, I was grateful as well before, but now I'm more in the present and I realize more how much powerful can be this achievement, you know, as well as connecting with listeners through live streams and receiving messages from them, uh, which reminds me that behind every download, guys, behind every view and behind every number, there is a real person, okay. Someone choosing to spend a part of their life with me. Beautiful, just beautiful. I mean, that blows my mind uh for real, you know. And this is fuel, this is fuel, this is value, this is success with soul, with heartbeat, you know. And I guess that is the meaning of journey to success of this podcast now. I want to hear from you. What milestone did you overlook? What moment did you rush through? What achievement did you call? You know, it's not enough. You know how many times I say, uh, looks like it's never enough. No, it is enough, it is enough, it's more than enough. Okay, how would it feel to go back for you guys just for a minute and celebrate properly? Send me a message, share your story, or connect with me on Soupstack. I would love to know how you honor your wins and how you bring value into your own journey, okay? And lastly, if you enjoyed today's episode, you already know how important it is to subscribe so you never miss an update. But what matters most, what matters even more, is sharing this episode with someone who might need a reminder to slow down, celebrate the growth, and reconnect with the present moment. Thank you so much for being here on Journey to Success. And remember, together we're not just chasing success, we are becoming people of value, okay? One round, intentional, step a time. I'll see you in the next episode, guys. Cheers.