The True Measure of Success

A few years ago, I was speaking at a business conference and asked the audience, "How do you define success?" 

The answers came quickly as people shouted things like revenue growth, market share, promotions, financial freedom, notoriety, and building a legacy. 

Every single answer centered on achievement, accumulation, or recognition. This came as no surprise to me because everywhere we look, our world holds these things up as markers of success. 

And it's this definition that leaves most people exhausted, empty, always chasing something just out of reach, and most often wanting more. 

The World's Definition

The world tells us success looks like more. 

More money. More influence. More followers. More possessions. More achievements. The message is relentless; you are what you accomplish, and you're only as valuable as your latest win.

I bought into this lie for years. 

I chased every metric of traditional success and hit most of them. And you know what I discovered? The finish line kept moving. 

Every time I achieved something, the goal shifted. The satisfaction I expected never came. I was on a treadmill going nowhere, exhausted from running and chasing wind. 

Solomon, in his book of Ecclesiastes, captures this reality perfectly when he writes,  "Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless." 

The world's definition of success is a moving target that guarantees you'll never feel like you've arrived.

A Mark of True Success 

In the book of Psalms, we see the author offer a prayer to the Lord for true success. His supplication is, “Make me walk the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found. Give me an eagerness for your laws, rather than a love for money! 

The psalmist isn't asking for more money, more influence, or more recognition. He's asking to be directed in God's commands, because he knows that's where true delight is found. 

He's asking that his heart be turned toward God's ways and away from selfish gain. This is not something that is done naturally by us as humans. This will only be done when we ask God, as the Psalmist has, to transform us. 

This is a radical redefinition of success. 

It's not about what you accumulate or achieve. It's about the direction of your heart and the alignment of your life with God's will.

The Contrast

The world says success is about gain, yet God says success is about surrendered obedience.

The world says success is measured by what you have. God says it's measured by who you are and, more importantly, who you belong to. 

The world says success is achievement. God says it's in alignment.

The world says success is visible. God says the most important measures are internal: the state of your heart, your character, your walk with Him.

The prophet Micah gives us the clearest picture of what God considers successful living when he writes, "He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

Act justly. Love mercy. Walk humbly. That's it. 

Not to build an empire. Not to accumulate wealth. Not to achieve fame. 

Justice, mercy, and humility.

True Delight

Here's what I've discovered since I began redefining success by God's standards rather than the world's or mine. There's a delight that comes from walking in His path that no achievement can produce.

The psalmist wasn't wrong when he said, "There I find delight." 

When we align our lives with God's ways, we experience a joy that doesn't depend on external circumstances. We experience peace that doesn't require everything to go our way. We experience contentment that money can't buy.

What Are You Chasing?

So here's the question worth wrestling with … What are you chasing? 

What defines success for you? Is it the world's ever-moving target, or is it delight in God's path?

If you're exhausted from chasing metrics that never satisfy, maybe it's time to redefine success. Not by what the world says, but by what God says. Because at the end of your life, the only measure that will matter is whether you walked in His path or your own.

Running the race with you,

Carlos

This edition was first published in The Life Design Newsletter on LinkedIn.