The Lie I Was Taught About Success

I was taught that success had a look.

A timeline.

A checklist.

Go to school.

Do the right things.

Work hard.

Be patient.

Stay quiet.

Wait your turn.

And if you did all of that, success would eventually show up and reward you.

That was the lie.

No one told me success is uneven.

That it comes in waves.

That sometimes it disappears right when you think you’ve earned it.

No one told me success often looks like exhaustion, doubt, and doing the right thing without immediate payoff.

I believed for a long time that if I was struggling, I must be doing something wrong. That needing rest meant weakness. That slowing down meant falling behind.

What I know now is this:

Success is not linear.

It does not arrive on schedule.

And it does not care how hard you tried yesterday.

Success is survival.

Success is adaptability.

Success is getting back up without applause.

And anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something.

Tomorrow’s prompt: Something I’m still unlearning.