It’s time to redefine success.
I say that not as a jealous writer who’s achieved nothing of his own, but rather, as a survivor who knows the word means something more. More than the usual money and fame people associate with it. More than the views, likes, and followers the social media age is obsessed with.
Real success is much more than that.
Why do I take the contrarian stance here? Because I’m not satisfied with the status quo.
Modern success is all about externals—about the numbers and the accolades. It’s “how many points did you score?”, “how many views do you get?”, and “what’s your job title?”.
Look, I get it, that stuff matters. But all those questions are missing the point. The reason I’m not satisfied with them is because our numeric goals are shortsighted. In fact, they’re not really goals at all.
Those measures are side effects, positive ones, that occur in response to consistent and gradual effort.
That’s why we should redefine success. Those side effects are just results of a bigger change: a change in you.
Real success—satisfying success—is when you get stronger, wiser, more diligent, and more focused. Or in other words, it’s when you become a person capable of achievement.
Think about it. A student may aim for a 4.0 in college, but the real goal is to become a scholar worthy of recognition. A blogger may strive to get thousands of views and followers, but she must first become the type of writer who deserves those results.
Our modern view of success overlooks those facts. That’s why we have so many one-hit wonders and people who are famous for being famous.
Longevity, persistence, and substance are all lacking because we’ve decided they’re not important. So now when things don’t immediately go our way, we see failure. Instead of celebrating the countless improvements we’ve made in the dark, we dismiss our growth as wasted time.
But this, my friend, is a loser’s mentality. It’s cowardice hiding behind a false sense of efficiency.
Even if you instantly got the views, the accolades, and the validation you think you deserve, it would all be worthless. Why? Because those don’t belong to you.
They belong to people who show up day in and day out. They belong to people who endured creative lapses. They belong to people who simply never gave up.
That’s why I say fame, money, or any quantifiable measure isn’t an accurate sign of success. True success, as I alluded to earlier, relates to another achievement. And this feat isn’t so much about a number, but the following realization:
“I’m still here.”
Are you still in the game and are you still improving? If your answer is yes, then you’re already successful. Even if loved ones doubt you, peers mock you, and your own confidence is shaken, you’re a success.
Why do I say that?
Because you’re becoming.
You’re becoming a good writer, a good artist, a good athlete, a good leader. You started and now you’re following through. So eventually, you’ll be a person who deserves reward.
Forget the empty numbers that can’t satisfy. You want to build something complete and timeless instead. Think libraries, portfolios, and huge bodies of work—those are the real mission. Because in your efforts to create them, you’ll be forced to become more.
There’s no need to chase what doesn’t belong to you. Become more than you are first. Then watch as the numbers follow.
-Drew
Photo by Jp Valery on Unsplash
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