We are often our own harshest critics, but that can sometimes hold us back. By asking people’s loved ones to rate their level of “success,” this social experiment shows us that we often seem more successful to others than to ourselves.
The video, which was created by Strayer University and Aplus, is part of a campaign to literally redefine the word “success” by petitioning the Merriam Webster English dictionary. According to Strayer University, 90% of Americans associate success with happiness rather than “the fact of getting or achieving wealth, respect, or fame,” which is the current Merriam-Webster definition of success. If you agree with their campaign, be sure to sign their petition!
(The video originally embedded here is no longer available on YouTube.)
The people in the video were often surprised to see how their loved ones rated them, so remember – we should let our loved ones know what we think of them more often and we might often be more successful than we realize!
Source: Bored Panda via Idealist Revolution
About the campaign: Strayer University launched its “Readdress Success” campaign in August 2015, citing its own nationwide survey for the 90% figure (the release does not give the sample size or method). It asked Merriam-Webster to replace “the fact of getting or achieving wealth, respect or fame” with “happiness derived from good relationships and the attainment of personal goals.” Merriam-Webster’s full entry lists several senses, including “favorable or desired outcome” and “the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence”; the exact phrase quoted by the campaign does not appear in it today. We found no record of the dictionary adopting the proposed definition.
Define the word first
Before comparing ratings, ask what each person means by success. They may be thinking of kindness, reliability, ambition or something else entirely. A campaign video can open that conversation, but its selected participants and edited scenes do not establish how everyone sees themselves.
Different ratings may use different definitions
The success campaign compares self-perception with what loved ones value. One person may be thinking about career progress while another thinks about reliability or care, making their numbers less directly comparable than they seem. The video can start that conversation without establishing a representative national result or a current dictionary definition.
The word success can refer to different things even within the same conversation. One person may think of career progress, another of dependability, and another of making time for people they love. A low self-rating and a high rating from a relative may therefore reflect different criteria as well as different levels of confidence.
Before comparing the numbers, ask what each person was rating. Did they use the same question and scale? Were they thinking about the same period of life? Were the answers selected for a filmed campaign? These details help explain why the sequence can be moving without functioning as a representative survey.
The personal takeaway need not depend on a score. Tell someone about a specific action you appreciated and why it mattered. A concrete example gives them information they may not have had, whereas a broad label such as successful leaves the meaning open.
It is equally reasonable to have ambitions that loved ones do not fully see. Their encouragement can sit alongside dissatisfaction with a particular part of life. The film invites a wider view of achievement, not a requirement to abandon your own priorities because another person offers a reassuring number.
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The moment that you begin - RATING Yourself, You begin comparing, comparing to superficial values that have been put in Your mind by the Matrix of control - education, news, television, advertising, propoganda like this. Actual Happiness is only attained when You are doing truly what You Love to Do and You really feel Good about what and how You are doing. When Your work brings joy to the people that it touches, that is when You begin multiplying Your and Each Other's Joy, Love & Happiness.
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