Finally, what is success?

We hear about success everywhere. It is supposed to be the ultimate purpose of all the actions we take. We use the word mechanically… We want to be successful professionals, form a successful couple, achieve economic success…

Yes, we want all that, but What exactly do we call “success”? And above all, how do you measure how much success is enough?

The idea has become widespread that achieving success is “not having to worry about anything.”. May everything in your family work like clockwork or you can buy whatever you want without doing additions or subtractions. May others praise your work and you get a managerial position or be popular or famous. We could count on the fingers of one hand those who have all that.

Success or successes?

Have you ever wondered what success really means to you? The normal thing is that we join the common idea that tells us that he who has a lot of money is successful.. Usually, we don’t stop to think why so many rich, famous, award-winning, and seductive people live in the midst of unhappiness.

Although this pattern of “success” exists more or less generalized, in reality, what is successful and what is not depends a lot on subjective factors. Of feelings much deeper than the purchasing power and all those elements that we have already pointed out.

Everyone should take the task of defining and redefining throughout their life what success they are looking for. We cannot talk about one form of success as such, but rather about many ways in which people manage to be successful. And also There are different ways to be successful, depending on the context in which we live and the moment of life we ​​are experiencing.

The word “success” comes from the Latin “exitus” and means “end” or “term”. The English adopted this word as “exit” and it is the one you see at the exit of every closed space. If we go to its original meaning, success is anything that puts an end to a lack or suffering.

Characteristics of success

Although success is a complex and subjective notion, we can identify common characteristics in the skills of people who are assumed to be successful. These are:

Motivation. It is one of the essential components for success to occur. Since that is where the energy and determination to achieve what we want comes from.Curiosity and creativity. They represent another common characteristic in the search for success, as they are factors that allow one’s work to be distinguished and outstanding.Persistence and perseverance. They are two key aspects of success, since they allow us to face the difficulties that appear along the way.Result display. Without a clear goal it is difficult for us to maintain focus and determination. Anyone who aspires to success must know what they want and where they want to go.

Measure success

Just as there is no single meaning to the word “success,” there is no single way to measure it.

If you look at life from the perspective of lack, you will never be the most beautiful or the most handsome, nor the richest, nor the most praised, nor the most popular. Because success and happiness are not synonyms. Success is a rather cumulative concept: having more of something, until reaching a supposed summit that is never the highest. Happiness, on the other hand, can be seen as the opposite: not needing anything else to feel good.

Success is a concept skillfully managed by the consumer society. It is one of those attributes that you acquire more to display to others., than to enjoy it in the privacy of your heart. This is probably an idea that corresponds more to the sphere of power and economics than to the world of emotional well-being.

Achieving what we set out to do is not always the happy ending to a story. The old aphorism says “be careful what you wish for because you might just get it.”. I would add that it is never bad to achieve what you want, as long as it is a freely chosen goal and not imposed by a culture that seeks productivity and is based on competition between one another to achieve it.

In that sense, success is obtaining what you freely desirewith no other purpose than to be happier and sleep more peacefully.

Fear of success

Most people aspire to success. However, there are some individuals who experience a fear associated with the consequences and responsibilities that success could bring in their lives. This fear is not always easy to detect. Some signs that a person might have it include:

Lack of objectives: By having very low expectations, people ensure that they will never make any real progress toward success.Give up: In many cases, people derail their own success by quitting just before it looks like they are about to get it.Procrastination: Putting things off until the last minute possibly means that people are not doing their best to achieve success.Self sabotage: People who fear success may place obstacles in their own path that decrease their chances of doing well.

The causes of this condition are multiple and depend on the experiences and traits of each person. Nevertheless, Fear of success has been associated with: the belief (unconscious or not) of not being worthy of success; lack of self-confidence and fear of social rejection. Other related causes are:

imposter syndrome: Sometimes people who experience success fear that their achievements are not deserved or that they are not as good as other people in their field.Negative experiences: People who have experienced some negative outcome in the past after performing well, such as being ridiculed for being a “show-off” or enduring hardship because of this success, may also fear that they will do well again in the future.Low self-efficacy: Research has found that people who are afraid of success also tend to have low self-efficacy. Self-efficacy refers to a person’s beliefs and ability to achieve their goals.Shyness or social anxiety: Shy or socially anxious people may be afraid of success because they don’t want to be the center of attention.

Finally, people with fear of success act, consciously or unconsciously, to hinder or ruin the possibility of success. In these cases, the best option is usually to go to a mental health professional to resolve this conflict.

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