Defining My Version of Success
What actually defines success — views, money, followers? All of these?
It’s 2021.
As technology continues to evolve and develop, it is creating and destroying many jobs and industries. Increasingly fewer people are looking for long-term employment as more and more people look for independent or temporary roles in a growing gig economy.
2020 exacerbated this process in the wake of, well, COVID-19. Global lockdowns and work from home operations made it obvious to many people that sitting around in an office isn’t fun, nor even essential. Who wants to work in an office when 95% of office work can be done at home?
While some traditional notions of success seem to be everlasting, like fast cars and flashy offices, it’s clear to see that these societal views affect a lot of our chances of real success. Is it time for us to look at success in a new, bezel-less way?
What does success mean to you?
Here’s my definition;
“Success” to me is the threshold between how much of my time is mine, versus how much I have to give away for things like money or education. A person who consistently achieves success in one’s life is one who never really ‘needs’ anything because as far as they are concerned, they already have everything; if not, they will go out and get it.
Whether that be a degree, a job, learning a new language or building a family, every challenge you set for yourself is defined by and built for you — success is achieved when these challenges become optional.
I also view success as a measurement of free time. A successful person shouldn’t have to spend hours working a day, in my opinion. Personally, I’d take a lower salary to benefit from more free time, which may not be the best option in the short term, but I feel like it’s definitely a better option for long-term success… Provided you spend that “free time” doing something worthwhile — not just lying in bed.
All this is just to say that typical notions of success are, in reality, subjective. I don’t envy Ferrari’s and mansions as much as I envy financial freedom and being able to enjoy my Monday mornings.
