1.2 |The Narrowing of Success in Modern Society

The Narrowing of Success in Modern Society

Why does modern society narrow "success" down to wealth, status, and fame? This is dictated by our social evaluation systems. Alfred Adler said: "The life of every human being is nothing more than a struggle to be better than those around us." But how is this "better" defined? This "better" is defined by social values. In reality, different societies possess different value systems, yet regardless of the society, what we pursue is almost always the same: making our "self-worth" appear higher.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs also indicates that after humans fulfill basic survival and reproductive needs, they move toward a higher level—the need for self-actualization. But the problem lies in how we define whether the "self has been actualized." What exactly does the value of the self pursue?

Evidently, in the physical world, our "self-worth" is often understood as:

• We must appear to control more resources than others;
• More people must know who we are;
• We must be able to exert a sufficiently large influence on more people.

In any society, as long as it is a human one, everyone is essentially pursuing these three things. The values of each society differ only slightly:

• Some societies may feel that "status and honor" are more important than wealth;
• Others believe that money is paramount.

In modern society, we live in a system based on economic operations, where commercial behavior is the primary mode of expression. Naturally, everyone pursues:

• More wealth;
• Higher status;
• More widespread fame.

Because these are all treated as symbols of being "superior." We begin to believe that when we possess more wealth, greater fame, and reach a higher status, we will naturally be more valuable and more free. Our society constantly propagates more luxurious and expensive things, equating them with:

• Achievement
• Success
• Superiority
• The manifestation of self-actualization
• Symbols of freedom

Consequently, all of us—regardless of whether our Capability Layer matches or our internal "Self" is consistent—are driven by these values: climbing diligently and striving desperately, all for the sake of wealth figures and status titles.

In this process, because it is essentially a single-dimensional competition—much like everyone taking the exact same exam:

• There will inevitably be a first place, and inevitably a last place;
• For a small group of "winners," there must inevitably be a vast majority of "losers."

To rank among the top, people begin to:

• Compete
• Control
• Monopolize
• Exclude

The result is that even the "winners" often find their external titles to be severely inconsistent with their internal capabilities or their true selves. Thus, we witness:

• Many instances of "attaining a status one does not deserve" (De Bu Pei Wei);
• Many people who are brilliant on the outside but empty within;
• People who achieve their goals only to find themselves less free.

This is why so few people in this world can achieve what I call true success—the complete unity of the External Result Layer, the Capability Layer, and the Internal Structure Layer; a state of true internal and external consistency.

Before we continue discussing the holistic methodology for "attaining success," we must first state clearly: what is our definition of success? Only then will you understand that this entire book is fundamentally different from success manuals like Think and Grow Rich, which only teach you "how to get rich." What we hope to help you achieve is True Success.