Is success the road to happiness? How can we achieve success? Is there a secret formula for it? Before answering these questions, we must first ask ourselves something even more important: What does success really mean to me? Because in that answer, we will find the key to our own fulfillment.
Have you ever stopped to think about what success truly means in your life? What would make you feel successful? Why do you want to succeed in the first place? The truth is: our personal definition of success determines whether we feel successful or not.
For a long time, I believed that happiness was the result of success. I thought that first I had to “make it” — and only then I would be happy. Years later, I realized that this belief was wrong. And that misunderstanding was exactly why I kept struggling. I was chasing something that didn’t really belong to me.
“Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.” – Francis Chan
Society teaches us that success means: money, status, fame, power, degrees, perfect careers, perfect bodies, perfect lives. So we grow up chasing these things, believing they will make us fulfilled. But… do they? Is collecting external achievements real success? Or is success something deeper?
According to the dictionary, success means: the accomplishment of one’s goals. So wouldn’t anyone who reaches their goals be successful — even if those goals don’t include money or fame?
This shows us something important:
Success is personal.
It cannot be copied.
It cannot be standardized.
It cannot be measured only from the outside.
“Stop chasing the money and start chasing the passion.” – Tony Hsieh
Let’s imagine this:
Two people graduate from law school.
One works in a prestigious firm, earns a great salary, and has financial security — but feels empty.
The other leaves that path, travels the world, turns a passion into a lifestyle, and lives with uncertainty — but feels alive.
Who is successful?
From the outside, many would say the first one. But what if you could feel their hearts? What if you could feel their joy, their frustration, their peace, their pain? Would your answer change?
“The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which you first find yourself.” – Mark Caine
Once again, everything depends on your own definition. Success is not something society gives you. It is something you create.
For me, success means:
Doing what I love
Being honest with myself
Growing through challenges
Standing up after falling
Choosing courage over fear
Living according to my values
Protecting my inner peace
Success is not perfection. It is authenticity. It is living in alignment with who you truly are.
“Success? I don’t know what that word means. I’m happy. But success, that goes back to what in somebody’s eyes success means. For me, success is inner peace. That’s a good day for me.” – Denzel Washington
Truly successful people are not just those with trophies or titles. They are: dreamers, doers, learners, explorers, brave souls, kind hearts, resilient humans. They dare to listen to their own voice. They are children, adults, rich, poor, famous, unknown — who choose to live honestly, without betraying themselves to please others.
So… is success the road to happiness?
Not necessarily.
A meaningful life is not built by chasing constant happiness, comfort, or approval. It is built by choosing, again and again, to live in alignment with what is deeply important to you — even when it is difficult, even when fear appears, even when doubt is present.
True success is not about feeling good all the time. It is about having the courage to show up for your life. It is about choosing growth over avoidance, honesty over comfort, and purpose over perfection.
Success is living in coherence with who you truly are. It is acting according to your deepest values, not according to your fears. It is building a life that feels meaningful — not perfect.
When you commit to what matters to you, when you take responsibility for your choices, and when you keep walking your path with courage and compassion, success becomes a natural consequence. Not because life becomes easy, but because it becomes truly yours.