Success is one of those words we think we understand, until we stop to
question it. Too often, our definitions of success are inherited. We absorb
them from parents, peers, television, marketing campaigns, even the silent
comparisons we make with neighbors and colleagues. These borrowed scripts shape
not only what we chase but also how we measure ourselves. And while it’s
painful not to reach a goal, it’s far worse to achieve it only to discover it
was never really yours.
This is where poets and philosophers can help us. They remind us that
success is not about conformity but authenticity. Walt Whitman warned us that
no one can live for another; Henry David Thoreau added that if life greets you
with joy and your days feel fragrant and free, then you have already succeeded.
Success is not the applause of others but the alignment of your life with your
deepest truth.
We could think of success as the flowering of dreams that truly belong
to us. To pursue beauty, even in sad places; to never forget our smallness in
the vastness of existence; to Love and be loved, this is success in its purest
form. The poet Arundhati Roy once wrote that true success is to “never simplify
what is complicated or complicate what is simple.” It is Wisdom married to joy,
resilience paired with humility.
Perhaps the most radical act of success, then, is not achievement but
authenticity, the courage to live your own dream, not someone else’s.
I can see how liberating it is to define success on
your own terms. I hope my children and friends take heart in knowing that
genuine fulfillment comes from authenticity, not approval or comparison.
Originally Published on https://boomersnotsenior.blogspot.com/
