Participants Blog

Redefining Success

Triumph. Success. Victory. Growth. Achievement. These attributes overwhelming dominate my Western consciousness. In Canada, I have been socialized from a very early age to highly value accomplishment and success. Attaining first place and being ahead of the masses is frequently deemed to be a goal worthy of great sacrifice in my Canadian culture. My peers and I constantly compare our achievements, whether academically, financially, or otherwise, with each other and envy whoever has performed best.

Harbouring intense feelings of jealously and resentment towards another individual’s degree of success is disturbingly becoming a norm among my generation. Desires to have, be, and do the best excessively govern our lives and the decisions we make. It would be wrong to assert that striving to perform at one’s best is an undesirable trait. Establishing and achieving goals imparts a sense of purpose and accomplishment, elements central to a contented life. However, it is alarming that our happiness, to a certain extent, hinges on our capacity to surpass others. In our culture, attainment tends to generate desires for further attainment, thus forming a somewhat of an insatiable, narcissistic cycle. A cycle, I have come to realize since my time in Swaziland, that I am an avid participant in.

Since living amongst my Swazi community I have arrived at the realization that material success is not a sole determinant of happiness. The principal hopes and desires of several of my host family members and peers in Swaziland are relatively modest and unpretentious in nature. Aspirations for material success and achievement are muted in favour of much more tangible ambitions, such as establishing a family and gaining employment. Coming from a society infected with a voracious hunger to expend, acquire, and dominate, the genuine pursuit of such practical goals is refreshing. I am gradually acknowledging that genuine contentment is not exclusively dependant upon attaining a certain level of status or fame, nor accumulating great success or wealth. Happiness is naturally derived from valuing authentic relationships and fulfilling one’s potential. I need not graduate at the top of my class, achieve high political office, or generate copious sums of money in order to appreciate my life. This may seem to be a rather elementary lesson; however, this realization is encouraging me to regard more fundamentals of life as sources of happiness rather than dispassionately striving to acquire artificial pleasure via superficial and hollow standings and objects. It a powerful lesson for me, one which I am certain I will hold for the rest of my life.

-Ryan Baxter, Swaziland