
By: S. Wilson
Success is one of those words that looks different depending on who’s holding it.
For some, success is a corner office, six-figure income, a packed calendar. For others, it’s peace of mind, time with loved ones, or waking up without anxiety. It might be a finished degree, a finished book, or just getting out of bed when everything feels heavy. Success doesn’t wear one outfit it shifts, it grows, it’s personal, and yes, culture plays a huge role in how we define it.
In some cultures, success is tied to family honor, stability, or sacrifice. In others, it’s all about individual achievement, ambition, and chasing more. The environment you grow up in — what you’re praised for, what you’re taught to pursue sets the stage. If you’re told success is being married by 30, you might see yourself as “behind” if you’re not. If you’re raised to hustle and accumulate, rest can feel like failure, but the older we get, the more we start to ask ourselves: Is this definition really mine?
Success isn’t one-size-fits-all. It’s something you come to define on your own terms once you start listening to your voice instead of everyone else’s. And when that happens, success becomes less about impressing the world, and more about being at peace in your own skin.
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