SUCCESS

You think when you hit success, life will finally start.

You think the fireworks will go off, the crowd will chant your name, and your self-doubt will finally pack its bags and leave. You think success is the magic wand that turns the mess into meaning.

But let me be honest. Success isn’t a movie moment. It’s not a loud bang. It’s quiet. And sometimes, it’s even disappointing.

Let me tell you the truth about success, not the pretty Instagram version with filters and fake smiles. The real version. This is the version of success about which no one composes songs. The one that sneaks up on you at 2AM when you’re alone with your thoughts and asking, “Was all of this worth it?”

The Problem With the Pedestal

Success is a word we’ve inflated like an oversized, shiny, floating balloon, but one pin away from popping. We worship it. Chase it. Lose sleep over it. We give it the power to define our worth.

And that’s exactly why it breaks us.

We link success to identity. We don’t just say, “I succeeded.” We say, “I am successful.” Or worse, “I am nothing until I am successful.”

So when things don’t go as planned?

When the product flops, the exam fails, and the dream job rejects you, it's not just disappointment. It’s an existential crisis. It feels like you failed as a person.

Let’s call that what it is: emotional blackmail from your own expectations.

The Gold Medal That Feels Like Plastic

Ever watched Olympic athletes cry after winning gold?

Not tears of joy but of confusion. Emptiness. The “now what?” syndrome. Because sometimes, we sacrifice so much climbing the mountain that by the time we reach the top, we’re too numb to enjoy the view.

You chased success like it was oxygen, only to get there and realize... you still can’t breathe.

This happens all the time in real life.

A guy spends five years building a business. Quit everything. Cuts off friends. Burns out his health. Finally sells it for a fat check. And then he’s lost. Because the goal that drove him is gone. His identity was tied to the hustle, not the healing.

It’s not that success is bad.

It’s that success alone won’t save you.

You’ve Been Lied To, Fam

You were sold a dream that said:

• Be successful = be happy.

• Be rich = be loved.
• Be perfect = be worthy.

But here’s the truth they don’t tell you.

Success doesn’t solve your internal problems. It amplifies them.

If you’re insecure, success will make it louder.

If you’re people-pleasing, success will bury you under expectations.

If you’re addicted to validation, success will become your drug.

And like every drug, the high fades. Fast.

You’ll hit a milestone and feel good for a day. Maybe two. Then the anxiety creeps in.

“What's next?”

“What if I lose it?”

“Was that even good enough?”

Success is a treadmill. And you're running full speed toward an imaginary finish line that keeps moving.

Define Your Own Damn Scoreboard

You want to win? Change the rules.

Stop measuring success by other people’s metrics. Define your own.

Maybe success for you is finally saying “no” when you always say yes.

Maybe it's healing instead of hustling.

Maybe it’s waking up without dread, laughing with your siblings, writing your truth, or showing up for yourself.

You get to decide what matters.

Let go of the script. Burn it if you have to. The one that says you must do X by 25 and have Y by 30, or else you’re a failure. No. Rewrite the story.

So What Should You Chase?

Not success. Not approval. Not aesthetics.

Chase alignment. Chase purpose. Chase peace.

You know what real success feels like? It’s not loud. It’s not flashy. It’s sitting in a room alone and not hating who you are. It’s loving the work even when no one claps. It’s being able to rest without guilt.

That's rare. That's real.

Final Truth Bomb

Success is just a mirror. It doesn’t change who you are. It only shows you what’s already inside.

So if you’re chasing success hoping it will fix your self-worth, pause.

Work on the foundation first.

Because you don’t need a million followers or a six-figure business to be enough.

You already are.

What Now?

If this cracked open something in your chest, drop a comment and tell me:

What does your version of success look like?

Not the fake one. The real one. The one your soul has been whispering about.

And if you know someone who’s been running on that success treadmill with bloody feet and an exhausted heart, share this with them.

Let’s stop chasing illusions.

Let’s start chasing truth.

My YT Channel 👇

Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6R9PSePi05aosH3eWf8ikQ