Feeling successful isn’t as easy as it used to be, at least if you measure success by the conventional markers: great job, great condo, great car, great vacations, great shoes, great stock portfolio, great hair. All of these things take money, and lots of people don’t have the latter at the moment. Does this mean that they no longer have what it takes to be successful?

The downturn itself really is a tremendous opportunity to reassess. If this sounds like sugar-coating, it’s not. But if you want to go with a confectionary theme, consider this: Candace Nelson was part of the dot-com boom-bust the last time everyone thought the world was coming to an end. She got laid off, and thought about what she really liked. What made her happy? Cupcakes came to mind (as they often do), so she started a cupcake company in Beverly Hills called Sprinkles.

Now Oprah loves Sprinkles cupcakes. Ditto for Tyra Banks, Jake Gyllenhaal, Courtney Cox, Jessica Alba, Jimmy Kimmel, Jennifer Love Hewitt, even Arnold (the Governor). Could anything be more fun? And isn’t having fun every day a really good definition of being a success?

If you step outside your comfort zone willingly, you’re jumping. If you’re pushed out, you’re merely falling. Either way, it’s time to figure out what you do when you land. You might start by having a cupcake.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 16th, 2010 at 9:45 am and is filed under under my skin with jane wurwand, founder of dermalogica.