By / Maya Jabbar

What does success look like to you? Is it graduating from a prestigious university? Owning a large house with a spacious front and back yard? Driving a luxury car? Working a stable job from 9 AM to 5 PM with benefits? Raising two or three children in private schools? Spending annual vacations in luxurious tropical destinations? Wearing high-end brands? Owning the latest technological gadgets? Attending fancy parties and meeting high-profile figures like politicians, members of royal families, ambassadors, and diplomats? Or perhaps gaining fame on social media with millions of subscribers and views?
Does all of this make you a successful person? It may be the perspective of some people in the world, but is this the truth? Does this really define success? I don’t think all of this is what defines success.
Success is waking up every morning happy with what you do and doing it wholeheartedly. Then, returning at the end of the day to lay your head on the pillow feeling at peace and in inner tranquility… this is what I call success.
Society's expectations will not only diminish your worth, but they will drain you physically, emotionally, and mentally. The daily race to meet others' expectations can lead to stress, anxiety, and sometimes to depression and suicide. This is not a happy life. True success is living an honest life, being true to yourself first and not to others' expectations, including those of family and friends.
Live for yourself. Measure success according to your own time, pace, and place. This is the true form of success. So wake up tomorrow and do what you love wholeheartedly, and go to sleep feeling at peace.