How Do You Measure Success?
I have often said, my story, the Sy’Arrian Legacy Series, has morphed over time as change within me has taken root. For other storytellers, my statement may seem a bit obtuse given the unspoken truth neither occurrence are separate and unique. It is a given, no matter how we walk our path, change is inevitable where the greatest unknown is how we will handle it in the present moment. Yet, if we are truly present in the moment, the concept of the unknown does not exist.
When reading the above, my recommendation is to not overthink it. Read it once and move on. As I approach two-months being completely free of video gaming, my mind is slowly recalibrating and bringing the universe back to some semblance of coherence I have not experienced since my early 20’s. True, I have experienced a few periods of what I call enlightenment but not in an authentically Buddhist or Taoist way. Nonetheless, the clarity of the last few weeks has been my own little miracle of mindfulness, which was instrumental in deciding the content of this post.
In our culture, success is often defined in numbers—bank balances, titles, likes, and measurable milestones. But what if this framework for measuring success is the root of our dissatisfaction? What if the true measure lies not in achieving more, but in aligning more deeply with the flow of life itself? Taoism and Zen offer a radically different compass for success—one not based on striving, but on being. Not based on accumulation, but on clarity, presence, and harmony.
This post will not be some exhaustive treatise relating to spiritual perceptions of how we measure success in our lives or a particular endeavor. I suspect many of you who have followed my writings for any length of time know full well my intent is not in the encyclopedic, rather in being more confined, while allowing for supplemental resources to do the heavy lifting. Much like physical labor, we should be writing smarter, not harder.
From a non-spiritual perspective, success means different things depending on context—but in practical, everyday terms, how do we really measure it? When we strip away spiritual ideals or philosophical musings, we’re left with tangible markers, designed to help us understand progress, performance, and impact in real-world settings. These are the metrics, milestones, and moments shaping our understanding of what it means to succeed. In my role as a state government employee this could come in the form of; defined outcomes, data/metrics, consistency, impact and influence, growth and learning, and stakeholder satisfaction.
Measuring success pragmatically enables us to make decisions with confidence, advocate for resources, celebrate wins, and iterate where needed. It keeps us grounded in reality while pushing us to improve systems, refine strategy, and deliver value.
Since I have now covered two varying viewpoints on how success can be achieved, albeit the latter could be considered a bit clinical, let me provide something more anecdotal based on lived experience. Please keep in mind this is experience based on my journey. Although we are all part of the same existence, we always have individual paths to walk, providing unique viewpoints of the world around us.
Prior to opening my mind and beginning to walk the path towards true awareness, I conceptualized success as continual promotion to the next level in my job classification, how many digits remained in the checking account from one month to the next, or if I would be published by a mainstream publishing house. Success was more quantity rather than quality although I strived for both, I knew were my true sentiments resided and did very little to change them.
Up until a couple of years ago, I minimized and marginalized my accomplishments by putting people on pedestals, especially those who had obtained the appropriate set of initials after their last names by attending and graduating from institutions of higher learning. I was the person who always filled in the box next to some college on job applications, often referring to myself as a bimbo for not completing the few remaining classes needed to obtain a degree in criminal justice.
My prior partner often said, people put way too much stock in those who obtained a degree, meaning it did not make them any better than me or anyone else. Yet, I still allowed my value as a contributing member of a team to be under minded because I had created an arbitrary, worth-based reality, which my culture had also programmed me to construe as success, although my lived experience far exceeded those around me.
I have often been told; Greg, you are an amazing writer, or You have a gift. A dear and close friend told me, When I read your book it reminds me of Dune. Another close friend who has also edited my writing iterated, Your dialogue and action scenes are very well done. In my head, I would scoff at such things, thinking there is no way I could measure up to the likes of Frank Herbert or other reputable science fiction/fantasy authors. Besides, I am no longer published, so I have yet to accomplish true success. At the time this was my reality, and I was sticking to it.
In recent months, I have not only reconnected with some of my closest friends, whom I consider family, but also my spirituality. The former I had already begun with insightful and thoughtful conversations, where I was introduced to the Tao, which is the natural way of the universe, primarily as conceived in East Asian philosophy and religion. The latter had disappeared so covertly, it would make a ninja rethink their vocation. I attribute its disappearance to my obsessive behavior regarding the observance of scientific methods and logic to interpret the world around me. Admittedly, there is nothing wrong with those two principles; however, finding a balance between them and the spiritual should always remain intentional.
As you read this words, I want to drive one concept home to ensure the path you are currently walking remains unencumbered. When I refer to discussing these concepts with others by saying, the past and future are irrelevant, only the present moment matters, many may nod in agreement not realizing I am only speaking to my path and theirs is unique to them. Living in the now is not something one must replicate for others to follow. Doing so attempts to dominate your environment or force outcomes. It’s about moving in harmony with the natural, effortless flow of the universe.
Both Tao and Zen teach the paradox of Wu Wei—effortless action or doing by not doing. In a world that rewards the hustle, this can sound like passivity. But Wu Wei is not laziness; it is deep trust. Trust when we stop trying to control everything, life still moves—and often more gracefully.
This doesn’t mean giving up on dreams or growth. It means cultivating them like a gardener does—not pulling the plant up by the roots to make it grow faster, but watering, tending, and letting nature unfold.
When we compare our perceived lack of success to the success of others, it breeds emotions like envy, pride, or shame, which are disturbances clouding our jing (essence), qi (vital energy), and shen (spirit). Taoism teaches peace and clarity come from stillness and self-acceptance, not from chasing status or measuring worth against others.
Do not mistake appearances for truth. Comparing yourself to others often involves surface-level judgments—material success, status, beauty—ignoring the deeper realities of their path. Each person follows their own unfolding. To measure your path by another’s is to lose sight of your own. Comparing is to create false divisions between self and other, undermining unity and mutual respect.
The ideal is not to become something in contrast to others, but to return to your original nature. The pine tree does not envy the bamboo; it simply grows in its own way. So too, should we.
What I have experienced up to the present has changed how I actually see myself, where I often ask the following:
Am I at peace with who I am becoming?
Can I accept both success and failure without clinging?
Do I live in a way honoring my true nature, not just external expectations?
These questions reflect a conversation I had with one of those close friends I mentioned previously. He conveyed we are here to discover our true purpose. Once we are aware of it, we move forward and make it our passion.
Since our conversation, I took a long and hard look at what has led me up to the present moment, where a flash of clarity came in the form of an email sent to me by another friend who found a wonderful blog post by IzzyBarros titled, Addictions – A soul adrift, which went a little something like this:
No addict will ever heal, unless they find a spiritual connection. The core issue is not the substance they abuse, or the behavior or the dependency itself. Inside, the addict is in a desperate search for a deeper connection with life.
Addicts don’t know what they are searching for, they only feel a constant anguish, a sense of incompleteness, that they cannot explain with words. That anxiety drives them to seek relief, the substance they abuse is only a substitute for what they really crave, which is meaning to their existence, inner unity and peace, a significant relationship with something greater than themselves. This dynamic is a sign that the soul is hungry. Hungry for the truth, for authenticity, and wanting to feel a wholeness,
Addiction is a silent cry from the unconscious, calling out for meaning and sense of purpose.
Addiction in this sense, is a clumsy, but legitimate way, of seeking a remedy for that invisible pain and suffering. Unless they get to search within for their inner spiritual strength and learn the true nature of their soul, and who they are themselves, that invisible pain will not go away. It will only go away with self-awareness, compassion and loving kindness toward themselves and all others.
Although the post in question spoke to addiction, it did force me to self-reflect and ask, what are you really running away from, Greg, especially as it relates to your writing? What I learned didn’t shock me, because there was an underlying question I had asked myself numerous times over the years but refused to answer.
So, in the very same moment I read the blog post forwarded by my friend, I had the necessary revelation to answer the aforementioned question I had been running away from, which was this; Your writing, the Sy’Arrian Legacy Series, could potentially go nowhere. Are you okay with that? My answer? Yeah, I am okay with that.
In the end, success measured through Tao and Zen is less a destination and more a way of walking. It's less about achievement and more about embodiment. It’s not found in the applause, but in the silence after. Let that be enough. Let it be everything.
Until next time, do more and be humble. This will allow wisdom to take hold and give you the ability to focus living in the moment. Be safe, be well and let us continue to hone the fine art of creative writing.
References
East Asian Philosophies
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_philosophy#East_Asian_philosophies
Laozi
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laozi
Tao or Dao
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tao
Tao Te Ching
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tao_Te_Ching
Wu Wei
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wu_wei
Zen
