Understanding Success

To understand success, we must first comprehend the underlying “why” of its existence as a concept. The very first question you should ask is not, “How can I become successful?” Let me ask you this: if you do not know what needs fixing, how could you possibly know what tools you need? Therefore, the first step is to recognize what success actually is, what tools are required to achieve it, and which path you must walk.

The majority of people visualize success as immense financial wealth. If we observe someone deemed successful by society, the focus is usually on someone financially prosperous who enjoys extraordinary luxuries—a grand house, a modern or super-sport car, or villas in other cities or countries. Thus far, we realize that most view success through the lens of monetary wealth. But why does this person possess such extensive amenities and live a seemingly carefree, comfortable life? The reasons can be highly varied: being the CEO of a major corporation, a successful merchant, a doctor, an engineer, or even relying on inherited wealth.

To truly understand success, we must examine the word from multiple angles. The first angle is the word itself. What does “success” signify by its pure definition? In the Persian language, synonyms for success are described with terms like Tovfigh (attainment/triumph) and Bahremandi (fulfillment/benefiting). In other words, success is the act of obtaining and realizing a desire. In English, the word “success” is associated with synonyms like “achievement” (to obtain) or “victory”. Victory itself implies an acquisition—whether it be a championship title, the conquest of a city or a nation, or closing a corporate deal. All of these point back to reaching a goal and attainment. Therefore, the word success intrinsically points to fulfillment and arrival.The second angle to examine is the definition of success. As I mentioned above, most equate it with substantial financial wealth. But where did this definition originate, and why has it taken this specific shape in modern society?

In ancient times, individuals who rose from harsh living conditions to achieve their desires became legends. Entire villages, tribes, or cities would idolize them, weaving their deeds into stories recounted at various gatherings, such as celebrations or night-time congregations. This success could be measured by the number of enemies slain in battle, a king conquering another land, or even a poor village boy finding his way into the royal court. Today, because most desires can be acquired with money, wealth has claimed the most prominent rank in the hierarchy of success. Consequently, this causes other forms of success to gradually fade from view and appear trivial.

For instance, a professional tennis player might win numerous tournaments and achieve a high ranking, but if they haven’t amassed significant wealth along their path, they will not be highly visible to the general public; most who know them only do so out of a personal interest in that specific sport. In stark contrast, an athlete who has won only a few average matches but possesses vast financial wealth—posting photos with their super-sport car on social media—subconsciously garners immense respect and validation from everyone. One could say that equating success solely with money stems from people’s own financial deprivations. Therefore, we must not grant financial wealth disproportionate validity and color. Doing so strips the balance and joy from all other options, handing them over to a single metric; if we fail to progress in that one metric, we feel defeated, broken, and profoundly sorrowful. We can conclude that a victory in a simple, friendly local match holds the exact same value as a team winning in an international arena, even if it yields not a single penny. Whether you achieve fulfillment, victory, or an accomplishment in sports, business, intellect, or science—all these concepts are equal, and none differ from “success.”

Another dimension we must observe is the aspect of belief. The core belief we hold regarding success can profoundly impact our actions and outcomes. We should pay close attention to this: can we truly hold a belief in something called “success” within our minds, and more importantly, can we trust that success mentally? You might ask, how does one trust success?

If we define success as the attainment of something through the actions we perform, then a foundational trust is required to assure us that this situation or event will materialize. When someone possesses this trust in success, their mind is freed from countless other anxieties, and this alone transforms their beliefs about success in any given subject. We arrive at another conclusion: success resides within our beliefs. Thoughts and convictions are elements that must be trusted in order to execute a task correctly. If you ask successful individuals—whether in sports, business, or elsewhere—if they had faith in their work and focused their thoughts on it, they will undoubtedly point out: “We knew we would win this game,” or “We knew this specific deal would close and we would finish the project with absolute success.”

Thus far, we have examined three dimensions of success. By recognizing these three aspects, many things become clear to us. For instance, if we stimulate our energy and motivation using only one of the aforementioned elements, we may very well face failure and fall short of success. Why? Because the fuel we are utilizing to reach our destination is incorrect and cannot sustain its passengers across a lengthy journey.

Now, having understood the word “success” itself, it is prudent to examine its core: the word “successful.” We all know that “successful” functions as an adjective; it can be attached to individuals or even inanimate concepts—such as a “successful project” or even a “successful dog.” Therefore, “successful” is an attribute that must be acquired, much like many other attributes. Some traits, such as having black hair, poor eyesight, or being tall or short, are with us from birth; they remain unchanged and cannot be considered acquired. However, to attain the attribute of being “kind” or “ever-smiling,” one must constantly strive for it at every single moment. The adjective “successful” is no exception to this rule and falls under the category of acquisition. Fascinating, is it not? ....