The very concept of success itself is alluring. In other words, it’s the mystical stardust that everyone wishes they could reach out and touch. For many, the desire to “have it all” is a driving force in and of itself, a reason to face each day with renewed determination and optimism.
To your good fortune, sound guidance on how to succeed and prosper is not hard to come by. An impressive 815 million results come up when you type “how to be successful” into Google.
So why is the concept of success so widely held? The good fortune fairy must be smiling at you because it feels good to be on top. The feeling is indescribable.
Yet there are times when achievement seems more like a dream than a reality, not unlike the way that happiness can feel like a mirage at times. We discuss it, read and write books on the subject, and listen to sages advise us on “how to get there” or the “habits of the ultra-successful.”
And yet, despite this enticing paradox, you can never truly feel content with your life because there will always be someone more “successful” than you are.
Is there any way to know for sure when you’ve arrived? Can success be quantified in any way?
Do you measure your success by how much money you have, how many people you’re friends with on social media, how many awards you’ve won, how well you did in school, where you got accepted to college, or how many lives you’ve changed?
The answer depends on the individual’s concept of success and the criteria by which it is evaluated.
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