What is success?
We’ve all been there. A seemingly innocent group chat explodes into tens if not hundreds of notifications in response to a single post. Recently I encountered that very same scenario.
One particular member post described nominations for an award, where fellow doctors nominate doctors for being ‘best doctor of the year’ or ‘best organisation of year’, as nepotistic. This was met with a lot of pushback and really made me think about what I define as success. Here are my thoughts:
Your ‘success’ is often dependent on the circumstances you find yourself in
This is does not mean that you can’t transcend or challenge life circumstances but some people who require support to produce outputs for success may not get it and vice-versa. Those with caring responsibilities won’t have the time to execute 70–100 hours per week to apply themselves and put the time so it may take longer to achieve the same visible outcomes. That level isn’t required but it is clear that some definitely do put that time into their endeavours!
There is always someone better than you: make sure it’s your future you
Your job is not to constantly be better than everyone else but to be the best version of you. You should be aiming on a trajectory to better than you were last year, 5 years ago or 10 years ago. This is a bit like when Matthew McConaughey talked about his hero is himself in 10 years’ time.
Life is a self-promoting game
Those who shout the loudest are heard, regardless of whether ‘true impact’ (whatever that means) or change is achieved. Meaningful change can only be seen by looking back. The pursuit of awards which many will see as ridiculous, pointless or ‘nepotistic’ are valued even if some feel they are not deserved. I support their achievements because it means a lot to them. If you can’t beat them, why don’t you join them? Do you feel your values would be compromised by ‘playing the game’? For me I constantly challenge myself about what I post on social media and whether I am staying true to my values. Am I holding myself accountable? Or am I posting for attention online for the sake of it, or actually doing meaningful work that is going to improve the lives of people.
“We live in an age of equivocal competency: if you want, you can be a competent dictator, a competent self-promoter, a competent terrorist. Just because you can do something well does not mean you should be doing it.” Clifford Cohen
Some ways of achieving success can seem manipulative
Life and achievements are not a zero sum game. There is competition and there is an art to taking an interest and charming others, which may seem manipulative to some. Relationships which build over time can have mutual benefit assuming you have good intentions. Working relationships, similar to formal mentorship schemes needn’t be transactional. Sometimes they can be mutually beneficial as Simon Sinek outlines:
Success is legacy
At least for me success is legacy. Personally the idea of awards and honours fills me with dread mainly because I don’t understand what they are or what they represent. What is success? Who knows? For me it’s far more valuable to make meaningful change that supersedes my existence. I’m talking about legacy.
One day, no one will remember who we are but the positives changes we made in this life are so integrated into routine life…that they are taken for granted. That’s success for me. When you talk to senior academics, the most important thing in their career was the people they helped, the PhDs they supervised, the doors they opened. That’s success for me.
I personally feel that I literally am one of the most privileged humans that had ever lived, ever. I have clean water, food, shelter, somewhere to sleep and a job that pays relatively well. Will I ever get to pay back the people who created the roads and sewers, the people who grew the food I eat? No I won’t. If by participating the system I can somehow pay it forward to make this world a better place. That’s success for me.
What does success mean to you?
