Redefining Success

Someone asked me recently about a certain branded item that I have. The item in question is a pair of Prada Sunglasses that I own. The question then centered around me not wearing that particular item and I quickly shared my view with him.

Here’s the thing: society has painted a view that once someone reaches a certain level of success or what people have deemed to be a certain standard of success, there should be certain “signs” that show that this person is now successful or rich.

Don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing wrong with spoiling yourself if you have the means to do so but your motivation should never come from outward opinions, you and your needs should solely drive your choices.

Nonetheless, it’s no big secret that I am currently working abroad and once I had settled, I realized that there were certain brands that I could afford to buy very easily. It became so easy for me to fall into the trap of buying things that I didn’t need simply because I could…and when I looked back at my reason behind purchasing these certain items, they were useless. 

Upon further introspection, I realized that certain spending habits of mine were not conducive to the type of life I had envisioned for myself. Sure, it’s amazing to be able to afford certain items and do certain things at that time, but let’s be realistic. What role do these items play in the future? What value would they hold in the long term?

These were some of the questions that I had to sit down with myself and ponder on. Consequently, my answer to these questions was absolutely nothing. None of the items I bought held any value. In fact, most of them could easily be replaced and would be rendered meaningless in a few years to come. Consequently, it is these same spontaneous habits or even spontaneous thoughts that keep us at a point of poverty. They keep our minds chained and not progressive.

Remember, the habits you engage in now can either enrich your future life or destroy it. 

Life is unpredictable and the best thing to do to survive in life is to always be prepared. A person needs to have the mindset that allows them to not be swayed by the situations they find themselves in, but to have the mindset to sway and change the situation they find themselves in to suit them. 

But the problem that we have is that many people allow the situation that they find themselves in to control their thinking and therefore influence their actions. In that way, you’re not fighting the situation but you’re allowing the situation to have its way with you. To curb that, change the way you look at your problems which will therefore change how you react to your problems. Have a forward way of thinking and not a regressive way of thinking.

Coincidentally, I had to sit down with myself and ponder my future goals and my decisions. God has been good to me yes, but what decisions could I now make to ensure that I keep living a good life? Is it to spend all of my money on meaningless items or to use it wisely so that it pays off in the future?

You can easily guess which decision I took. I chose to redefine my definition of success outside of what had been conditioned to me to escape a life of poverty. I may not have the ability to know what will happen to my life in the future, but I do have the ability to change myself and my own values to live a life of enrichment…and you can do it too.

Change starts with you. Not me. Not anyone else. 

But you.

You can choose to live the same life and suffer the circumstances later. Or you can choose to redefine your success, work on your limitations, and let that drive your path to success!

You choose.