The Idea Of Success
In a broad sense, the modern perception of success is mostly centered around living the good life, which primarily consists of an above average house, car, income, going on exotic vacations and anything in between.
Perhaps, also garnering as much attention as possible in the social sphere, since the more attention one has, the more successful they are perceived.
I think the difference between now and previous generations with regards to the idea of success isn't that much, and how achievable it is seems relatively easier now than before.
However, the subtle yet important difference between them is in the cost attached to it, i.e success.
Looked in a slightly different way, success is basically achieving a societal standard which grants one the power to move comfortably within society and be part of the very fabric of it. Think of it like getting a ticket to the royal palace in country.
Once you get it, countless opportunities open up in front of you, besides attention and recognition.
Now, let's pull back the curtains and explore this idea of success from what it takes to achieve it to what it looks like after achieving it.
The Cost of Success in the Age of Distraction
Nowadays, it takes more than just hard work to achieve success. There are more variables to put into consideration, an important one being focus and distraction.
I think this is the cost of having it relatively easy in modern times, which is too many distractions.
Sometimes, I prefer to reframe this easiness to achieve success as a half-truth, in that the easier it becomes, the harder it actually gets. Of course, this doesn't make sense logically, how can something be easy and hard at the same time?
In practice, without sustained focus achieving success in this modern world will be quite hard. On the other hand, another important point is adaptability.
We need not blame ourselves for getting distracted when almost everything is changing constantly around us. But if we have to develop focus, then flexible focus should be the goal, which means focusing without focusing.
In other words, focus on the whole without being fixated on the parts of the whole, because focusing on the whole means you're indirectly focusing on the parts of the whole. Hence, focusing without focusing.
Given the constantly evolving times we live in, let's shift gears and explore what this idea of success looks like after achieving it. Does it live up to the hype?
The Duality of Achieving Societal Success
Second-hand experience from people who've already achieved it shows us that achieving the societal standard of success can be a double-edged sword.
On one side, it brings this promised comfort and opens doors to opportunities. They might enjoy a luxurious lifestyle, travel to exotic locations, and gain recognition within their social circles, shake hands and converse with influential people.
But at the same time, they often find the pressure to maintain that lifestyle relentless.
Despite having achieved the "checkboxes" of success, fundamental puzzles of life such as what really brings fulfillment still remains.
Of course, within this double-edged sword-ness of success, the gains outweighs the losses almost objective, especially when compared to the previous state of not having achieve it yet.
That said, this idea of success starts to feel like an illusion, albeit a comfortable one.
In many ways, it doesn't live up to the hype. But this isn't necessarily a bad thing, since it can be a stepping stone to a more meaningful or significant definition of success.
Thanks for reading!! Share your thoughts below on the comments.