Success is often linked to societal expectations. Societal values, cultural standards, and social media influence how you think of success. Many people believe that to be successful, you must have a high-paying job, a big house, an expensive car, and an impressive job title. You can chase this definition of success or create your own definition.
Rethinking Success
Success by society’s standards can leave you feeling emotionally and physically exhausted. The influences and expectations surrounding you can pressure you to prioritize conformity over your well-being. You may feel stress, tension, and burnout trying to meet the expectations of those around you. Yet, even if you do meet those expectations, you feel lonely, empty, and depressed. These emotions can be challenging to deal with, so you may turn to alcohol or drugs to help mask them. However, eventually, you may realize that they create more problems that drive you further away from your goals.
To reclaim your hopes and dreams, you must redefine what success means to you. Finding what makes you happy and realigns you with your values is a step towards becoming who you want to be.
Change the Definition of Success
When you decide to seek help for your alcohol or substance abuse addiction, you choose to start a journey to being the person you want to be. During this journey, you will work with your therapist to define your own concept of success. An essential part of your recovery is understanding what contributes to your definition of success. Some examples include:
- Socioeconomic pressures: As the World Health Organization (WHO) states, “Poverty and financial stress contribute to higher levels of mental health disorders, including depression and anxiety.”
- Gender roles: Men often feel the strain to be the “provider” or “protector” of the family. These expectations can discourage men from discussing their feelings. The inability to share their emotions can lead to depression, suicide, or substance use.
Renaissance Ranch offers a treatment and aftercare program tailored to the unique needs of men. Our alumni can be a part of our Band of Brothers group.
Success, as you define it, allows you to reconsider your values and beliefs. Discussing these values and beliefs during individual and group therapy helps build a strong foundation for your recovery journey. It also means examining what success means in your relationships, career, and social life.
At Renaissance Ranch, we offer evidence-based therapies that help you explore and discover how to align your vision of who you want to be with your values. The first step is creating a treatment plan that reflects your unique needs.
The Journey to Recovery
There is a difference between focusing on the destination and the journey. According to the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, when people viewed achieving a goal as a journey, they were more likely to continue the behaviors associated with their goals.
The Past Is the Future
While creating your path to the future, don’t leave your past behind you. Rather than focusing on the goal you achieved, you should shift how you view success to considering the steps you took to achieve it. When you do this, you think about what you’ve done, such as entering a treatment program, as part of your recovery journey.
Quality of Life
When you follow what others view as success, you can lose yourself. Instead of meeting their standards, look at what’s important to you. Success shouldn’t be defined by a single standard. Instead, shift your focus to your quality of life. Quality of life is about relationships, health, achievements, and personal growth. It’s a balanced approach to life and success. Your mental health, relationships, self-worth, and happiness may increase.
Creating Your Success
Through alcohol or drug treatment, you build the foundation for focusing on your definition of success. This foundation is what carries you through your aftercare program and life. You’ll also understand that you need self-awareness, calculated goal-setting, and reflection. You can do this by:
- Self-inventory: After you return home, take a moment to reflect on what truly matters to you. Reflect on what brings you a sense of fulfillment and happiness. Re-evaluate what you’re doing and how it makes you feel. If you’re unsatisfied or feel fulfilled, create a plan to guide you to fulfillment and happiness.
- Reflection: Set aside time, maybe once a month or three months, to consider what you view as success. Your definition can change as you move through life.
- Assess your values: Your values are what guide you. Consider where you’re at and check if it aligns with your core values.
- Visualize the life you want: When you’re in treatment, envision the life you want to have. Consider your daily routine, what brings you satisfaction, and your definition of success. Use the plan you created to help you make this life a reality.
- Evolve: Your definition of success and your goals change. Set new goals, adjust existing ones, and ensure that these goals align with your life and values.
- Find support: The resources you included in your aftercare plan are crucial for maintaining your recovery. Find people encouraging you to grow, set goals, and redefine success. Healthy relationships and connections to those who understand your path are invaluable.
When you think about your recovery as a journey, you are more focused on taking the steps you need to maintain your sobriety once you re-enter your life outside of Renaissance Ranch. Continuing to be involved in support groups and building healthy relationships will guide you to redefine success. Think of success as a path; it isn’t always straight, has obstacles, and can lead to new experiences.
Society, social media, and cultural norms influence your definition of success. Yet, while you’re chasing an external definition, you may not be focusing on your internal idea of success. Success should reflect what’s important to you. Your quality of life is an essential part of how you define success. You may find that you don’t need a high-paying job or a big house, things society views as being successful. Instead, you may place more value on your core values, physical, and mental health needs. At Renaissance Ranch, we aid you in discovering what you need and want in your life to be successful and healthy. To learn more, contact (801) 308-8898.