The Success vs. Failure Dichotomy is a Lie

Your modern definition of success is wrong

Photo by Andre Sebastian on Unsplash

You are wrong about success.

I’ve learned recently that success is not what I thought it was. Not in the New Age “redefine success” mindfulness type of way. But in the ancient definition of the word “success” type of way.

For years I’ve been chasing the very specific modern definition of success (don’t judge me… you’ve done it too). Success looked like fame, popularity, achievement, financial goals, and global impact. I was striving but never achieving. As Type 3 (achiever) on the Enneagram, it was slowly killing me.

So I went down the mindfulness path. And it definitely helped. But until I recently learned of the lie that today’s definition of success is, I wasn’t sure why.

I believed that success was the opposite of failure. But it’s not (no really, it’s not!).

Success is “the good or bad results of an action”

All it takes is a little reframing of the definition of success.

You need to reframe it based on the ancient or archaic definition of the word. This definition is so much more truthful, important, and relevant to the way we look at the world. I wish I had known it sooner.