From a young age, we are conditioned to meet expectations. Do well in school, secure a good job, maintain a certain lifestyle - there’s always a benchmark to reach. These pressures don’t just push us forward; they also narrow our perception of success, making it difficult to separate what we truly want from what we’ve been told to want. In professional settings, this can manifest as chasing promotions, overcommitting to responsibilities, or feeling like any deviation from the expected path is a failure.
However, if we pause to question these pressures, we might realize that some of them are self-imposed or outdated. Success does not have to look the same for everyone and the pressure to conform can sometimes lead us away from what would actually make us happy, or ironically, from becoming an even more productive member of the very society that pushes us to pursue these standards in the first place. Instead of chasing an ideal out of habit or expectation, taking a step back can help us redefine success on our own terms.