A well-dressed, clean-shaven, smart-looking guy, talking over the call with AirPods on and typing or scrolling on his iPhone in one hand. A moment later, he approaches his luxurious car. As he opens the door, you notice he’s wearing a branded watch. If you ask people about him, they’ll say he holds a high position and achieves great results at a well-known company. If you look at his social media, you’ll see him traveling by plane, checking into luxury hotels, and seemingly enjoying life.
This is likely how you’d imagine a young, successful professional man’s life, right?
Most people think this way, and so they strive to make their lives look like this.
We spend a lot of time looking good rather than feeling good, creating a socially approved lifestyle rather than a comfortable, peaceful one.
We spend a lot of time capturing Instagram-worthy images on trips rather than enjoying the experience. Again, to look good on social media, we shop as if our old clothes were disposable.
None of this truly brings happiness until we are appreciated and validated by others.
See how tragically we position ourselves, just to appear successful?
You might say, “But Premsai, we are actually happy doing all this.”
The question is, are we truly?
The increase in stress-related health issues like high blood pressure, heart attacks,
worsening mental health,
broken or strained relationships,
depressed youth,
rising crime rates, and
a lack of mutual respect and empathy
speaks volumes about the deterioration of our well-being.
We should pause and reflect on what will happen if we stop trying to look successful according to socially set criteria.
Give up the desire to be trendy, to be relevant to the masses, to be constantly appreciated. See what happens. You might be surprised.
Set meaningful goals, prioritize well-being, and nurture genuine relationships.
True success is about personal growth and fulfillment, not just the image you project to the world. If you feel trapped in the showbiz of looking successful and need a mindset shift, I am a call away.