Redefining Success: Why It Starts with You
If someone asked you to name a successful person, who would you choose?
Would it be a world leader? A celebrity? A tech billionaire? Or someone closer to home — a parent, mentor, or teacher?
I asked that very question to a hundred people. The answers I received were surprising — not because of who they named, but because of who they didn’t.
My Story
I’m an investment executive in Corporate America — and, as you can see, I’m a Black woman. I lead a four-billion-dollar business alongside an incredible team, and I’m well known both in my company and community.
By society’s standards, that would make me “successful.”
But for a long time, I didn’t see success when I looked in the mirror. I saw someone who still hadn’t done enough.
As a young girl in Rochester, New York, I believed success looked like fame and fortune. My role models were movie stars, athletes, and entertainers — the only people I could see who looked like me. I didn’t know their struggles or values. All I knew was that to be successful was to be like them.
Years later, as I climbed the corporate ladder, I achieved more than I’d ever imagined. Yet, success still felt like a moving target — something always slightly out of reach.
The Moment Everything Changed
One afternoon, two young women from my company walked into my office wearing matching T-shirts that read:
“Yes, I know Naima.”
At first, I laughed. Then I blushed. Then I realised something profound.
They saw me as successful.
But as they left my office, I couldn’t shake an uneasy feeling. These two women were bright, hardworking, and full of potential — yet they didn’t see their own success.
That moment changed everything for me. I realised we often measure success by titles, visibility, and wealth — instead of by impact, growth, and resilience.
And that realisation became my mission: to redefine success.
The Question That Started It All
I decided to ask one hundred people a simple question:
“If you had to name a successful person, who would it be?”
The results were fascinating.
- About half named a public figure — an entrepreneur, athlete, or entertainer.
- The other half named someone they knew personally — a parent, mentor, or friend.
- And only less than 10% named themselves.
That last number struck me. Why don’t we see ourselves as successful?
Maybe we fear sounding arrogant.
Maybe we’ve been taught to equate success with perfection.
Or maybe — and this is what I believe — we’ve been conditioned to look for success in others first.
We celebrate people for what they’ve achieved, but rarely for who they already are.
The Truth About Success
We often treat success as a distant finish line — something we’ll reach “one day” when we have more money, more recognition, or more time. But the truth is, success isn’t a destination. It’s a reflection of who you already are today.
If we never stop to celebrate where we are, we’ll always feel like we’re not enough.
Acknowledging yourself first means the target never moves.
A Challenge for You
I’d like to invite you to join me in redefining success — starting with yourself.
Ask yourself these four questions:
- Have you ever overcome a challenge?
- Have you grown as a person?
- Would your absence be felt by others?
- Have you ever made a positive impact on someone or something?
If you answered “yes” to any of these, you are successful. It’s that simple.
Success isn’t reserved for a select few. It’s in everyday victories — surviving, improving, caring,
Your Turn: See It for Yourself
Now, do me a small favour.
Take out your phone. Open your camera. Flip it to selfie mode.
Look at the person on the screen.
That is what success looks like.
You are a walking example of achievement — yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
There will always be new goals to pursue, but they should never erase the value of who you already are.
From this day forward, let’s live in the “I am”, not the “I will be.”
And next time someone asks you to name a successful person, your answer should be clear:
“Me.”
