What Success Looks Like?

The world we live in has a lot to offer — both in terms of inspiration and, well, distractions.
There's a saying: "Comparison is the thief of joy". But if we don’t know where we are heading, the only way to track progress is by using others’ metrics. No wonder we often find ourselves in the wrong places—or on the summit of someone else’s mountain, usually that of the person or people we were trying to follow. I’ve fallen into that trap myself. One example is my training patterns, which I wrote about in one of my post's. I’m trying to steer away from that. Some people manage to retrofit their actions into the position they find themselves in and make peace with it. That’s great for them. But what if you believe you have a unique role to play in this world? Or your own mountain to climb?

Successful tech companies often spend a lot of time defining their problem statements—usually more than those that simply try to mimic them. The same principle can apply to our lives. What if you set clear goals from the start? The journey toward those goals could be much more fulfilling and less distracting.

You may not have a clear understanding of what your goals look like yet, and that’s absolutely fine. You can start by identifying what you don’t want. When you feel uneasy about something you’re doing—or not doing—especially after hearing someone else’s success story, ask yourself: Is that what I really want? If the answer is yes, great. You should go ahead, dig deeper into their journey, and use it as a source of inspiration. As you do that, also try to understand what they sacrificed for their success. Then ask yourself: What am I willing to give up for this?

This is where it gets tricky. Unless you’re starting from a completely clean slate—which is rarely the case—there will be trade-offs. So be prepared for that. However, if the answer is no from the start—or you realise it along the way—it’s time to take your first step on your own journey. Or, before diving headfirst into something new, try asking yourself: "What does success look like?"