Word-Of-the-Week #2019: Successful
February 19, 2026 by Susan Clarke
Successful – having achieved wealth or desired visions and planned goals.
Do you consider yourself to be a successful person? Do you follow through on what you set out to do?
This week features the first part of “If You’ve Already Accomplished These 11 Things, You’re More Successful Than An Average Person” by Alexandra Blogier at YourTango.com
Everyone defines success differently. Some people measure success by career achievements, money, or material comfort, while others base it on strong relationships, emotional health, and how fulfilled they feel on a day-to-day basis. Success is personal, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to recognize. In fact, there are certain life accomplishments and internal shifts that quietly separate truly successful people from everyone else.
In psychological terms, success is often described as the achievement of intention, meaning you followed through on what you set out to do. Real success has less to do with comparison and more to do with growth, self-awareness, and fulfillment. When you stop measuring yourself against others and focus on what actually matters to you, success becomes easier to recognize. If you’ve accomplished the following things, you’re already more successful than the average person — even if it doesn’t always feel that way.
1. You show up as your authentic self
If you’ve channeled your authenticity and let your fullest self shine through, you’re more successful than an average person. Showing up for yourself in an authentic way requires dedicated self-reflection.
You’ve spent time thinking about what makes you feel most like yourself and put those parts of yourself out into the world. Research shows people who express themselves in ways that match their true selves report higher life satisfaction, which means being real is linked to feeling better about life overall.
Cultivating your authenticity isn’t easy, but doing so can bring you success and self-confidence in huge measures. Consultant and well-being expert Tchiki Davis explains why authenticity can be hard to access.
“We’re just trying to fit in, be liked, and be accepted by other human beings,” she points out. “Being yourself can feel risky, and it is. But if you have to hide who you really are, you can end up feeling lost, lonely, or even worthless, because you are basically telling yourself that who you really are isn’t okay.”
“Rather than letting fear drive our self-expression, we need to learn how to accept ourselves so we can truly be who we are,” she reveals.
Davis shares that being authentic means accepting yourself as you are and talking back to your inner critic. It means being vulnerable and celebrating your strengths. Ultimately, channeling your authentic self means owning every part of yourself and announcing to the world that you are exactly enough, just as you are.
2. You commit to lifelong learning
If you’re continually learning, you’re more successful than an average person. Some people believe success means reaching a tangible endpoint. They equate success with mastery and believe once they’re successful, they’ll have nothing left to learn. Yet true success is, in fact, the opposite of knowing everything. True success means admitting you don’t know everything and you’re ready to keep learning.
Research shows that people who embrace lifelong learning tend to be more adaptable and experience greater career progress and personal growth over time, because they’re better equipped to respond to change and advance in their field.
Just as curiosity is a marker of high intelligence, it’s also a sign of success. People who are successful in their professional roles get there by taking on challenges and being adaptable, both of which require a commitment to learning new things. Being open to change is a requirement of being successful, and that kind of mental flexibility can be acquired by teaching yourself new skills and letting others teach you, too.
This week’s focus is on being more successful. Do you accept yourself just as you are? Are you committed to keep learning new things because you don’t know everything? Do you measure success by career achievements or by how fulfilled you feel on a day-to-day basis?
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