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Why Your Perception of Success Matters

By Corinne Bryant

As humans we are expected to achieve. We may often hold a looming pressure over ourselves to reach perfection when we feel passionately about something. As a result, it can be difficult to accept that the concept ceases to exist. 


Of the 10 people I asked, 100% of them said they view success as a personal experience. Instead of trying to impress those close to us or even strangers, online we should  try to feel proud of ourselves first. The definition of success is ‘the accomplishment of an aim or purpose’ and if personally, that means finally brushing your teeth after a period of struggling to even get out of bed, going on a walk, checking up on a friend or making yourself a meal, it is just as valid as something more commonly seen to be worth celebrating, such as completing targets at work, running a marathon or winning an award because success can only accurately be measured against yourself. We must acknowledge an improvement is an improvement no matter the magnitude and that it varies hugely person to person. 


There’s no need to remind everyone that social media is such a huge part of life now, in many ways a support bubble of compliments and uplifting videos to escape the world for a moment. However, it has become so integrated that the line between ‘reality’ and reality is very much blurred. I don’t know about you, but I can admit to posting only photos I feel show the best parts of my life, that show me happily spending time with friends or a pretty view captured on a day out. What isn’t shown is the days spent sitting at home in old pyjamas being unproductive, the nights spent awake worrying about life itself. Idyllic imagery online has become so ingrained it is easy to forget that’s only a small portion of what we truly experience. How does this link to success? Well, without even thinking, we assume these posts mean people have a perfect life especially when viewing them in the" sat-at-home" unproductive scenario. Failing to remember that life isn’t a constant, this is in fact not an avatar created by a computer but a person like everybody else with negative points to overcome seems to be an all-too-common symptom of social media overuse.


I need to work on being kinder to myself. I rarely feel content with my achievements, as I’m guilty of trying to reach that unattainable perfection. I then find myself feeling low in confidence and as though I’m not good enough, even questioning if I have the correct ability. It stops me from fulfilling my true potential and even trying to apply for opportunities in the first place, out of fear of failure. I need to learn how to treat myself as I do those close to me. Why can’t I feel as proud of myself as I do of my friends and family? In a bid to make myself genuinely happier and slowly improve my confidence, I’m going to ask myself this question more frequently: What is your success today? If you resonate with these feelings I urge you, too, to answer with me.