Success Is Not A Paved Path
Nothing worth having is ever easy.
As kids, we’re endlessly taught the importance of success. Get good grades, get into a good college, get a good job with a good salary, and the list goes on forever. We’re told that there is one path to reaching success yet many of the “successful” people we look up to did not follow that path
To me, that sounds like a red flag. But, hey, I could be wrong.
However, take Steve Jobs for example. He dropped out of college after one year. He was even fired from Apple in 1985. Did he fail? Did he regret not going to college? We may never know the answer to the second question, but the first would be no. In 1997, he returned victorious as CEO of Apple. He didn’t have to follow some paved path to get where he was going. He just dreamt big and kept on going when things got tough.
When we force ourselves to go down a paved path, we put ourselves in a box. You leave dreams left unexplored, which could haunt you until the day you die. You also forget the point of living — to actually live. You might be sitting at a fancy desk with millions of dollars, but are you successful?
I guess that depends on your definition of success. My definition isn’t measured by wealth, power, or even connections. It’s simply if I lived life to its fullest, captured my dreams, and go to bed happy most nights.
I don’t need a mansion, and I definitely don’t need millions of dollars. Sure, I want a feeling of security, but I don’t need actual security guards to do it. Not following the paved path doesn’t mean you can’t think rationally, but it does give you the freedom to try new things.
Life doesn’t just have one path. It has many paths. You and I are on separate paths, ready to live completely different lives. The point of this article isn’t to get you to drop out of college but to let you know that if you did, it’s okay.
Getting on your path doesn’t mean that you do reckless things. It means that you are ambitious, thoughtful, and capable. It means that you are ready to step off your path when you see your dreams. It means that you are willing to do the work to get ahead in life.
Success isn’t easy — no one path can ensure you get there.
