Success: A Multifaceted Concept
Success is a complex concept without a clear definition. It is not fixed and doesn’t have a clear beginning or end. Instead, it is a multifaceted idea that affects various areas of life. In German, there is a saying, “Glück im Spiel, Pech in der Liebe”, which means “lucky at cards, unlucky in love”. This saying perfectly illustrates that you can be successful in one area but miserable in another. Success is often multi-layered, complex and evolving. It can be seen as a journey and our definition of it may change throughout our lives.
This article sheds light on my view on success and how it has evolved over the years.
Reflecting on the Nature of Success
Success is not going to last forever, and accepting this can be challenging. This realisation was one of my most conscious confrontations with growing up, and I didn’t handle it very well. For instance, if you perform well one week, the expectation is to do even better the next. That was my sense of success. I couldn’t appreciate or be satisfied for a single moment, which made it pretty unpleasant to be around me. This drive has helped me to achieve a lot, but at the same time it has often made me very unhappy. Being content for a moment or seeing success in the journey was unimaginable. Today, I believe accepting the transient nature of “success” is the only way to deal with its impermanence. Its very nature should encourage us to appreciate the process and the smaller, everyday successes. It teaches us humility and resilience.
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A holistic framework of Success
As success is so vaguely defined and encompasses various aspects of life, it can be helpful to compartmentalize it into categories or domains. Examples include:
Personal success: Wellbeing, health, personal growth, happiness and fulfillment
Professional success: Job satisfaction, career milestones, financial stability
Relational success: Family relationships, friendships, romantic relationships
Community and social success: Community engagement, social impact, networking, mentorship and influence
Intellectual success: Knowledge acquisition, creativity, innovation, critical thinking
Spiritual success: Inner peace, purpose and meaning, ethical living and values
Experiential success: Travel and exploration, life experiences, bucket lists
The list could be endless and depends entirely on the categories that are meaningful to you and how you want to define success. I believe everyone should spend some time thinking about the kind of success they are pursuing. This way, you can gain a more comprehensive understanding of your achievements, areas for growth, priorities and where to invest your time and energy. This framework is comparable to Brad Stulberg’s concept of identity and the importance of “diversifying your sense of self”. He emphasizes the importance of developing multiple components to your identity, rather than to going “all-in” on only one endeavor. In his book “Master of Change” he uses the metaphor of a house for identity. Within that house, you want to have different rooms – for example, rooms to work in, rooms where you are an athlete, rooms for being a partner, parent, etc. Those rooms don’t have to be balanced all the time. There may be times where you want to or have to focus more time and energy on one room. But it’s important that when things may not go as desired in that room, it doesn’t consume you. You can step into another room and realise how privileged you still are. Whether we are talking about identity or success here doesn’t really matter. In general, this framework exemplifies that true fulfillment often does not have a single origin, but results from a balanced and integrated life.
The Power of Reciprocity in Achieving Success
In my personal journey, I have often mistaken my success for my identity. But success is not me and I am not success. I have been chasing my tail for my own success, only to realize that it means relatively little to me – but I have never been so emotionally touched as when I saw other people so genuinely happy for me on the day of my PhD defense. They have all played a part in “my” success. This made me understand that success is a reciprocal system. I make no secret of the fact that I want to be successful, but at the same time I realized how powerful and fulfilling it is to contribute to the success of others. Mutual support is something very special, and most of the time we can’t be successful on our own in the long term and are dependent on the help and support of others. Therefore, we should be mindful of our behaviors, communication and how we value others. For instance, if you measure your professional success by the number of publications you have, it makes sense to foster strong relationships with colleagues, acknowledge their expertise, and collaborate effectively. This way, not only do you increase your chances of success, but you also build a supportive network that benefits everyone involved.
The Principles of Long-term Success
Continuous self-reflection is essential to evolve over time. After completing my PhD, I realized that this “success” was not about being “smart” but about having the privilege and perseverance to pursue a goal. Striving for excellence in multiple aspects of life at times requires stepping out of comfort zones, adjusting what you thought was a perfect plan, and even starting over and taking on the role of a beginner.
Nowadays, success to me means living a meaningful, passionate and compassionate life. In other words, being (mostly) happy with myself and my daily life, being in an energetic environment, surrounded by people who challenge but support me, and doing meaningful work. This perspective aligns with my six key principles for success:
Setting clear objectives: You can’t expect success if you have not set yourself a specific goal and made your expectations clear.
Finding joy in the process: This may be the most underrated success factor. If you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, it won’t be long until you burn out. Celebrating small victories along the way is crucial.
Creating an environment for success: Ensuring you have a supportive network is super important. Whether this is a supportive partner, a quiet and organized workspace, or access to necessary resources like books, equipment and colleagues – don’t underestimate the impact of your environment.
Frequently assessing your state: Regularly evaluating and discussing your progress towards your goals and your emotional and physical well-being.
Engaging in self-reflection: Taking time to reflect on your experiences, positive and negative, understanding what works well and what doesn’t and how you can improve or adjust your approach.
Never shying away from starting anew when needed: If a particular project or career path is not fulfilling or viable, have the courage to pivot to a new direction, even if it means starting from scratch.
To me, success is about continuously evolving, never stopping to learn, and remembering that success is not finite.
Question for you
How will you define and pursue your own multifaceted version of success? What steps will you take today to move closer to a balanced and fulfilling life?