Personal Essay on Success

Personal Essay on Success

The Architecture of External Validation

For the better part of my adolescence, success was a destination with a very specific set of coordinates. It was a tangible collection of gold stars, high-digit test scores, and the silent, nodding approval of authority figures. In the competitive environment of my high school, we viewed success as a finite resource, something to be captured and hoarded. We were architects of our own resumes, carefully placing each brick of achievement to build a tower high enough to overlook our peers. At seventeen, I believed that if I could just reach the next milestone, whether it was a varsity letter or a prestigious internship, I would finally arrive at a state of permanent satisfaction.