Does Suceess Needs To Be Redefined?

Growing in this world of cutthroat competition, educated in a school with sky-high ambitions, I was built for success, I was bred to succeed. I was running in the race of success before I knew the meaning of success. My brain was hardwired to achieve. That was the sole meaning of life I could possibly comprehend.

Now, I am almost an adult, about to cross the threshold of my bubble of an existence. I was a dumb little kid, to accept all the norms. Norms that has not, for once, proved its significance to unmask the cloak of complication of life.


I thought I wanted to conquer it all but I started asking questions that really matter. I asked myself what I want. With a clear opinion in view that I want to be happy no matter what, I asked if conquering the whole world will quench my thirst for more and make me happy? I got an honest answer from my heart, a resounding emphatic no. But my brain is hard-wired to succeed! How do I conduct my life then?

"Success (n) 1. the achievement of an aim 2. the gaining of wealth or status" is how Oxford English Dictionary defines it. This is the norm. But I prefer customisation. There isn't a mass production of humans to work as 'hands' like the cloning of Stormtroopers in clone wars (Star Wars) but every individual is born with a set of unique qualities. It's not hard to acknowledge that. So if every individual is unique, shouldn't success be customised according to their needs and capabilities? Why does everyone have to run in the same race when what they want is different for all?


I, for once, want to customize the definition of success, something that I work hard for, achieve it and get my deserved haven of happiness. Earning a massive wealth or power is secondary when I won't be content in my heart. After almost 6 years of depression and 3 year of generalized anxiety disorder giving me enough panic attacks to jolt me into reality, I realized that being stressed in studies or career can do me no good but deteriorate my mental health. So I sought out my passion, passion for literature. My definition of success is still an outline but it definitely involves a nourishment of soul with a more or less constant peace in my mind.


What's your definition of success?