The Ladder of Success Leaning Against the Wrong Wall

The word “success” may have a highly variable definition from person to person, yet interestingly, it remains a common goal upon which the vast majority of people seem to agree. So much so that we’ve turned it into a metaphor: “climbing the ladder of success step by step.” But climbing that ladder quickly comes at a cost — with every step forward, we leave another possibility behind. But what if the ladder we’ve committed to is leaning against the wrong wall? And what if we realize that only as we near the top?

Trying to define what success is might be considered a bold move on my part. But through the filter of experience, I find it easier to see what success is not. Success is not a title earned merely to gain society’s respect. Nor is it the lifelong pursuit of a goal that was never truly your own, chased solely to gain the approval of others. To me, the greatest misconception is believing that the ladder of success has a peak, and that reaching it is the ultimate purpose of life.

The collective noise of society often drowns out our inner voice. The world around us constantly whispers who we should be. The danger lies in how, under the influence of these external pressures, our perception of success gets shaped without us even noticing. This issue is explored from a similar perspective by Robert Greene in his book Mastery:

You choose a career path based on what your peers or family say, or one that simply seems more profitable. If you lose touch with your inner calling, you might achieve some success in life, but the absence of real mastery will slowly consume you. Your work becomes mechanical. You start living for comfort and easy pleasures. Over time, your passivity deepens. You feel disappointment and sadness, but you fail to realize that you are the source of those feelings.

We’ve become so used to seeing success as a destination that most of us don’t even realize what we’re chasing. So why are we climbing these steps — and for whom? How many of us truly experience fulfillment not at the end of the road, but within the journey itself? If our ladder is leaning against the wrong wall, and we keep climbing without ever questioning it, what awaits us at the top won’t be success — but a growing sense of emptiness and inadequacy.